Rajasthan Royals’ newest recruit Tabraiz Shamsi has insisted that his team’s ranking in the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) doesn't really count, as the second phase of the IPL 14 in the UAE would determine the future of the teams in the tournament.
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) is ranked 5th on the IPL 14 points table before the tournament was suspended in May due to COVID-19 cases in the bio-bubble.
Now, the world’s biggest T20 league is all set to resume in the UAE from Sunday (September 19) and Shamsi reckoned that the performances in the second half of the IPL 2021 matters most, as it would be a fresh start for all the teams.
Shamsi said in a RR press release: “I think whether the team is at the first spot or the fifth, the position at the halfway mark doesn't really count. It's what you do in the second half that matters.”
World’s No.1 T20I spinner added, “So, I think we are in a good position right now and we have got half a tournament to play, so it depends on how we play the rest of the games.”
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The South African spinner has never been much in demand in IPL auctions, and he didn't even sell at the auction earlier this year, but it didn’t really affect him.
Though, the pull-outs from the RR camp opened the doors for Shamsi for the second half of the IPL 2021 in the UAE. He previously played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL in 2016-2018.
Shamsi further said the same, “In the past, when I was younger, it (not getting picked) did affect me a little bit. But as you grow older, you realize there are bigger things in life. You understand that there are certain things you can't control, and I was certainly in that space. I feel like I just have to do my work, and if a team feels I can benefit them with my services, they would pick me as Rajasthan has, and I’m going to try my best to make sure that we win the competition.”
He continued, “With reference to the conditions in UAE and the short boundaries in Sharjah, I think it is a challenge. But it also means that you have an opportunity to get wickets. Sometimes on grounds like that, a spell that goes for 35-40 runs can be a match-winning spell, whereas in other games, a spell of 3 or 4 wickets can change a game. So, I think it's not just about taking wickets.”
Shamsi is a fan of Australian spin legend and RR’s IPL-winning captain Shane Warne and he will get the opportunity to learn things from him during the IPL 2021 in the UAE.
He signed off by saying, “Shane was, of course, a legendary leg spinner, and he was always a go-to man for any spinner. From him, I have learned to keep things simple and to be able to remember that we're all different and that cricket becomes as complicated as you make it in your head.”
(With PTI Inputs)
