When they played key roles in India’s ICC U-19 World Cup 2018 triumph, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi were touted as the next superstars of Indian pace attack.
But injuries forced both the teenage pacers to stay away from the game for a considerable time. Now that Nagarkoti (20) and Mavi (21) are taking the IPL 2020 by storm, it is important to look back at their rehabilitation period as the much-maligned National Cricket Academy (NCA) came to their rescue.
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"Right after World Cup, Kamlesh suffered from stress fracture on his back and stress reaction on his ankle. He was taken to the UK by the BCCI and multiple specialists were consulted. He was in the NCA for close to one and half years," a senior BCCI source, who kept a close tab on the duo's rehab, told PTI.
"Shivam, on the other hand, was in NCA for a period of eight months, first, there was an ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury and then a stress reaction. However, his recovery was quicker than Kamlesh's but he again got injured after the last domestic season," the official said.
The source further stated that the BCCI-NCA spent approximately Rs 1.5 crore on the rehabilitation and recovery of the duo in the last two seasons.
"It will be very difficult to quote an exact figure but it is more than Rs 1 crore and could be close to Rs 1.5 crore. There are a lot of sub-heads but this is what was roughly spent on them by any conservative estimate.
"It could be more depending on the number of overheads. But it was worth it as they were identified as special talents and were supposed to be wrapped in cotton wool," the source said.
He then shared facts and figures of the expenditure.
"In NCA, there are no residential facilities. Any India player (male/female/U19) is put up at a five-star facility -- normally Ritz Carlton or ITC. Add the DA to that plus the UK trip and consultation fees.
"The medical check-ups, out-sourced physiotherapy sessions, everything was taken care of just like BCCI does for a centrally-contracted player. The two people who deserve a lot of credit are NCA head Rahul Dravid and head physio Ashish Kaushik," the official said.
Nagarkoti understands the contribution of people in resurrecting his career and he also expressed gratitude towards them.
"I want to thank my family, the KKR support staff and everyone else who have stood by me. Many people like my family, Dravid Sir, Abhishek (Nayar) bhaiyya. There have been so many people to thank," Nagarkoti quoted as saying by PTI.
In an interview with 'ESPNCricinfo', Mavi had also acknowledged everyone’s support.
"I had great motivators at NCA. Anand Date, our trainer, I've known him since my Under-19 days, so there was familiarity. He understands my body better than anyone.
"He, Amit Tyagi (NCA physio) and Ashish Kaushik (NCA head physio) charted my recovery, step by step. It took me four months to come back to full rhythm," Mavi had said.
On Wednesday (September 30), Nagarkoti (2/13) and Mavi (2/20) claimed two wickets each as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 37 runs while defending the total of 174.
The pair will now be seen in action against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Sharjah on Saturday (October 3).
(With PTI inputs)
