When the Rajasthan Royals roped in Karnataka’s Krishnappa Gowtham for INR 6.20 crores at the IPL auction earlier this year, many eyebrows were raised in disbelief.
There was a lot of apprehension as how the KPL sensation would go about his business in the cash-rich event. Gowtham did take his time but when he gave the glimpse of his all-round skills, fans and experts alike couldn’t stop gushing over his exceptional talent.
In his recent interview with ESPNCricinfo, Gowtham reflected on his IPL 2018 campaign and credited the Royals coach Shane Warne for giving him the much-needed confidence. Warne had welcomed Gowtham in the RR camp, saying: "KG, you're my project for IPL 2018."
"Can you imagine, a legend who has 1000 international wickets coming to me and saying that? I was glad he had seen what I'd done previously. Initially, I was like 'okay, what does he expect from me?' But I realised how easy it was to connect with him at a human level. It was just like two individuals having an easy-going discussion where there is communication from both sides. There couldn't have been a better welcome than that," Gowtham quoted.
The 29-year-old finished the IPL 2018 with 126 runs from 13 innings while he claimed 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.80. The stats might not look impressive but then it doesn’t reveal the full story. In one of the match, Gowtham had single-handedly pulled off a heist against the Mumbai Indians with a 11-ball 33. He also bowled with the new ball on numerous occasions and was able to restrict runs.
"Shane didn't tell me to change anything with my batting or bowling. It was more on mental strength and how you come back from tough situations. How your mindset has to always remain as if nothing is wrong - whether you take 4 for 20 or 0 for 48,” Gowtham remarked.
"He kept saying 'pause, think over, what best can be done.' Things like how you observe subtly a batsman's feet movements to see what he's trying to do next, and what you can do to ensure he doesn't do that, either through your variations or by changing the field. How you can enjoy the game on the field, how intensity matters the most, these are things which gives you a lot of confidence to get into the game. Basically he's a big influencer who carries a lot of positive energy," he explained.
Gowtham now wants to carry forward his learning at the Rajasthan Royals to the Quadrangular series, featuring two India sides along with the A teams of Australia and South Africa.
"Royals gave me the freedom to be myself, express myself. That has helped. As a franchise, they backed each and every player to come good in their role. I wouldn't say just in batting, bowling or fielding. As a professional, you are anyway supposed to do all these things, but when you get the liberty and when you get the chance to explore facets of your game on your own, it makes a huge difference," Gowtham asserted.
"I interacted a lot with Ish Sodhi, who had a lot of ideas. He hasn't played much here, so he used to ask me about varying pace, getting the best out of these surfaces. With Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, it was about preparation and match awareness,” he elaborated.
Gowtham also benefited from the expertise of India A coach, Rahul Dravid.
"The best thing about him is, he won't unnecessarily say things. He says something only when it is necessary, but he used to challenge you. One day he came into the nets and said try and get me out, I was like 'okay'. It was an optional training. I said I'll bowl you six balls and get you out, and I did. That was fun," he concluded.
