Young pace sensation Kamlesh Nagarkoti is all set to be seen in action for India in the upcoming Emerging Asia Cup tournament after missing the game for nearly 2 years and he labeled the period as just tough and emotional being away from the park.

Following the remarkable U-19 World Cup, cricketing greats including Ian Bishop and Sourav Ganguly predicted a bright future for Nagarkoti given his fury clocking speeds consistently close to 150kph.

However, the fate was something else for the emerging star, as the 19-year-old suffered a career-threatening back injury before the IPL 2018, which forced him to miss cricket since February 2018 including two IPL seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders and domestic cricket as well.

Nagarkoti told Cricketnext, “It was tough, I used to get emotional watching the IPL on TV. All my teammates were playing and I was recovering from an injury. It used to be frustrating but my main aim was to get fit and get back on the ground. I worked really hard for that.”

Read Also: Kamlesh Nagarkoti returns for the Emerging Asia Cup after 19-month injury layoff

There were talks that Nagarkoti’s action will make him vulnerable to injuries, however, he has now corrected that in his stint at the NCA, assuring this will not affect his pace.

He further went on to explain, “Coaches told me that my front-foot was going across and that was increasing the pressure on my back, I have made it bit more straight and I am comfortable with the action. There is no question of dropping my pace.”

The bowler also mentioned Rahul Dravid who played a key role in his success and also kept a close eye on him during the bowler’s recovery at NCA. Nagarkoti added, “He (Dravid) never let negative thoughts come into my mind, he used to be with me in the nets and kept tracking my recovery. Always told me that he believed in my potential which really kept me motivated.”

After being named in India’s squad for the Emerging Asia Cup, Nagarkoti doesn’t want to think much about the past, as he is looking forward to once again impress the selectors.

He signed off by saying, “Whatever happened has happened, I am not thinking about it too much. I want to show everyone that I am still the same bowler and I am looking forward to whatever opportunity I get. I have worked hard on my body, diet to regain my fitness.”

(With Cricketnext Inputs)