IPL 2022: "Suresh Raina Entered My Life Like A God," Says Young SRH Pacer

Since his performance in the 2020 U-19 Cricket World Cup, Kartik Tyagi has seen his career rise in prominence. In the same year, the pacer was roped in by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 Player Auction and went on to pick nine wickets in his debut season. In the mega auction this year, he was picked by SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 4 crore and recently credited Suresh Raina for backing his talent. 

Speaking via SunRisers Hyderabad's Instagram handle, he said, "Like I always say one thing, that after Under-16, Suresh Raina entered my life like a god because people started to recognise me when I was selected for Ranji Trophy. When I was 13, I participated in the Under-14 trials and this is where my cricketing journey began. I started playing for the Under-14 team and then Under-16. In the U-16, there was a season where I got 50 wickets in 7 matches. That is where the selectors started noticing that there is a player who has been taking a lot of wickets at the State level."

"Despite taking plenty of wickets, we reached the finals but lost. It was there that Gyanendra Pandey sir spotted me and he said that he was impressed by my performances and he will promote me going forward".

"From there I reached the State Ranji Trophy camp. When I arrived, I was just a 16-year-old youngster while the others were established players. Then there was an incident where Suresh Raina had also come", he further revealed.

"I used to be very silent and was observing everything. He was about to leave after his practice, but I don't know why he came back to the ground. He then approached me and asked me about what was my role. I told him that I was a bowler and then he gave me a chance to bowl in the nets. He saw my performance and told me that I liked your bowling and I will ensure you get chances in the future. Personally, for me, it was a good thing that someone like Suresh Raina noticed my performance."

"I was a little shocked that such a big player has complimented me and for a moment, I thought that he was joking. When he said that I was doing well, I still couldn't believe that I will get a chance to play in the coming days."

After that, it was quite shocking for me that my name was shortlisted in the UP Ranji team. My Ranji career started from there and later I progressed to the Under-19 team and eventually played the Under-19 World Cup".

The young pacer hasn't yet player a game for SRH this season but will be hoping to impress when given the chance. SRH are currently fifth in the IPL 2022 points table with eight points from six games.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sunrisers Hyderabad Rajasthan Royals Kartik Tyagi Suresh Raina IPL 2022 Cricket