Spin doctor on the pitch

The spinner from Hubli is thrilled to be a part of Mumbai Indians and cannot wait to learn from the legends in the game.

For the upcoming ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, the franchises targeted the next generation of domestic cricketers during the players’ auction held in the city few weeks ago.

And from Karnataka, a handful of uncapped cricketers caught the eye of the team owners owing to their extensive scouting network.

Among them is young leg-spinner Kishore Kamath, bought for a staggering Rs 1.4 crores by the Mumbai Indians. This lanky spinner from Hubli, placed at a base price of Rs 10 lakh, triggered a bidding war among the top franchises.

“I was alone and lazing at home, following the auction. My parents weren’t there because I didn’t know if anyone would buy me,” said the 21-year-old. “I was stunned when I was purchased by Mumbai. I immediately phoned my parents to tell them. They were extremely happy,” he added.

Currently training in Navi Mumbai under the watchful eyes of Mumbai Indians’ academy coach Rahul Sanghvi, Kishore is working hard on his fitness. “We are having a lot of pre-season training right now. There are many fitness tests and medicals going on too,” stated the son of Pramod Kamath, a former Ranji Trophy player, who represented Goa way back in the 1980s.

Mumbai’s scouts keenly followed Kishore’s progress during the last season of the Karnataka Premier League. “After KL Rahul was injured, I was included in the Hubli Tigers’ squad. I wanted to make the most of this opportunity and I’m grateful to the team management,” said Kishore.

A few weeks later, Kishore received a call from the Mumbai Indians’ team management. “I got a call from an unknown number. They asked me to attend the Mumbai Indians’ trials in the third week of December. Initially, I thought it was a prank call but it was Rahul Sanghvi,” added Kishore.

The Dharwad Zone cricketer is a regular in the KSCA inter-zonal tournaments and his elder brother Ramdas Kamath played for Karnataka U-14 and U-16. “My brother took up engineering and stopped playing cricket. Now, he is working in Saudi Arabia. But my father has always been my inspiration. I used go with him to the ground for cricket when I was in the second grade. I have cultivated a habit of training for two sessions every day since then.”

Three summers ago, Kishore faced a career-threatening injury that would have possibly derailed his cricketing ambitions. “I performed in the zonals and was included in the U-19 state probables. I could’ve made it into the (state) team before I tore my knee ligament. I had to get it operated and also it was my last (U-19) year too. I was ruled out for more than eight months,” he explained.

After intense physiotherapy, slowly recuperating from injury, Kishore turned out for KSCA’s fourth tier league side VV Puram Cricket Club.

The next season, Kishore signed up for topflight KSCA league club Malleswaram Gymkhana. “There was Praveen Dubey (leg-spinner bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore) in the team. It was tough for me to get a place in the team because of the competition. I managed to perform whenever I got an opportunity,” claimed the soft-spoken lad.

Taking inspiration from Indian cricketing legends Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and South African leggy Imran Tahir, Kishore aims to don the Indian colours someday. “I don’t copy anybody’s bowling action but I like to bowl in my own style. My stock delivery is the flipper which I use smartly. I’ll keep learning and working hard on improving my bowling and also batting skills,” said Kishore.

Apart from cricket, Kishore enjoys watching movies with friends and especially flicks of Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor. “I like his movies and I have watched almost all of them. I also enjoy shopping, I mean shopping for cricket equipment,” Kishore says.

With the new IPL season a few weeks away, Kishore is nervous yet excited to meet his idol — Sachin Tendulkar. “I’m quite nervous even thinking about meeting Sachin Sir. I wish I can take him for dinner once. That’ll be a dream come true,” concluded Kishore.