EXCLUSIVE: 'Rishabh Pant as captain reads the game very well' - Chetan Sakariya

Chetan Sakariya made a name for himself at the IPL 2021 auction, where the Rajasthan Royals picked him for INR 1.2 crores. The left-arm pacer finished his debut IPL season with 14 wickets in as many games; shortly after, he made his debut for India in July 2021.

Ahead of IPL 2022, Sakariya was released by the Rajasthan Royals despite impressing them last year and was subsequently picked by the Delhi Capitals for INR 4.2 crore. But due to other established bowlers in the Delhi team, Sakariya got to play only three games this season.

The young pacer caught up with OneCricket for an exclusive conversation in which he spoke about topics ranging from Rishabh Pant's captaincy to Ricky Ponting's advice.

Read the excerpts below:

You played 14 games in IPL 2021 but just three games in IPL 2022 because Delhi Capitals had other senior bowlers in the team. Does lack of games affect a player's confidence level?

If you play all the 14 games in the previous season, you come back to the next season with confidence and expectations from yourself. Yes, lack of games definitely hampers confidence a bit. But I also believe it's a part of the game. This happens in every player's career. If you look at the positive side of it, such situations motivate you to do your best when a chance in the playing XI arises. On the other hand, being benched for most of the season can deter your confidence and motivate you.

Did you develop any new skills while being on the sidelines?

Yes, I did. Our bowling coach James Hope taught me how to bowl a particular type of slower ball which can be useful in the powerplay overs. He told me he was impressed with how quickly I learnt how to bowl the delivery in just two to three attempts. I executed it in the nets and also used it in the Saurashtra Premier League (SPL), which was played after the IPL. I want to be confident enough to execute the delivery in bigger tournaments as well.

How was the experience of playing in a team coached by Ricky Ponting? Any memorable conversations with him that you can recall?

Ricky sir would often come and motivate me when I was not getting a chance to play. He would be like, "I know you must be getting frustrated but in good teams, this is what happens. Right now, all you need to think about is giving your best whenever the opportunity arises. This mindset will help both the team and you."

Ricky sir also helped me with my batting. Whenever he saw me idle, he would ask me to pad up and help me improve my batting. He would stand behind me in the nets and list out the changes I needed to bring to my technique. 

Two months of staying in a bio-bubble. How difficult was it? 

It was actually more than two months if you include the 15-day camp as well. Bio-bubbles are mentally challenging. This was the third bio-bubble season for us in the IPL. You get frustrated and lose your temper easily. Sometimes I would feel restless and would be unable to sleep at night. 

Any advice or conversation with any other senior bowler in the team?

I used to ask Shardul Bhaiya (Shardul Thakur) about how he manages to take wickets frequently. He bowls very well in the death overs. So I would ask him questions like how he judges the batters and sets such a unique field every time. He guided me on how I can pick wickets by bowling a particular delivery in a particular field setting. 

Tell us something that is special about Rishabh Pant's captaincy.

What is impressive about Rishabh Bhaiya's (Rishabh Pant) captaincy is that he takes responsibility for the loss upon himself. If you do well, he will give all the credit to you, but if you don't do well, he will take responsibility for it. He doesn't blame anyone. Delhi Capitals' luck kept fluctuating the whole season, but we were still in the playoff hunt till the last league game. His decision-making is also very good. He reads the game very well.

I'll tell you one incident - in a league game against Punjab Kings; our spinners were hit for a lot of runs. So we sent a message to the field asking Rishabh Bhaiya to give the ball to the fast bowlers. But he insisted that we continue with spinners and handed the ball to Kuldeep Bhaiya (Kuldeep Yadav). That was the game's turning point as Kuldeep Bhaiya took two wickets in that over, and we eventually went on to win the game.

How did it feel to take Jos Buttler's wicket? It was a very big wicket, given that Buttler was in the form of his life.

I had just one thing in mind when I was bowling against Rajasthan Royals - I wanted to execute my plans. I had special plans for Jos Buttler for which I wanted to bowl in a particular area, and I did. I tried to swing the ball as much as I could, which troubled him for most of the over before he eventually got out in an attempt to hit a big shot. I took two wickets in that game, and although that wasn't an extraordinary performance, it felt good to contribute to a winning cause.

In the past, you have played under Sanju Samson's captaincy. What do you think makes him special as a batter and captain?

No matter how fast you bowl to Sanju Bhaiya (Sanju Samson), he still times the ball wonderfully and comfortably, and that is what really makes him stand out as a batter. He can hit even the best deliveries for a boundary. As far as his captaincy is concerned, he is a very calm person. He emphasizes more on giving your cent per cent rather than on winning.

You were at the Motera Stadium for the final to support the Rajasthan Royals. You wore their jersey too. What do you have to say about the atmosphere in Motera? Singing the national anthem with more than a lakh people must have felt special.

I remember watching the 2011 World Cup final on the television. It felt so good to hear the national anthem on the television and sing along. Back then, I used to wonder how awesome it must feel about singing the national anthem with so many people in a stadium. Finally, after all these years, I got to experience it. I got goosebumps and can't describe in words how good it felt. I enjoyed those three hours at the stadium a lot.