On the eve of Karnataka’s fifth-round Ranji Trophy conflict in opposition to Chandigarh, captain Mayank Agarwal had insisted that left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty was bowling much better than his numbers instructed.
“He won’t have gotten (many) wickets, however he’s bowled rather well,” Mayank had stated.
Enjoying solely his third First-Class match, Shikhar repaid his captain’s religion with a powerful all-round show in Karnataka’s innings victory. He struck a worthwhile 59 to assist the aspect surge previous 500 (547 for eight declared) and adopted it up with returns of two for 43 and 5 for 61.
His maiden fifty, his maiden five-for, and an innings win – all aligning like constellations on a transparent evening!
“I don’t assume I’ve nonetheless processed it. Like, I’ve gotten a Ranji Trophy five-wicket haul. And sure, I’ve no phrases,” he gushed in his first media interplay after his breakthrough efficiency.
He stated that contributing with the bat boosted his confidence with the ball.
“It wasn’t a simple wicket to bat on. Contributing with the bat helped me with my confidence so much once I was bowling. And I knew what lengths and tempo to bowl. I used to be getting hit, however I made certain that I didn’t transfer away from my plans,” he stated.
He’d fashioned these plans from his batting expertise. His innings, he defined, provided him cues for his bowling.
“If I had realised one factor whereas batting, it’s that when the bowler bowled slower to you, you possibly can regulate and play. It felt simpler to bat. However after they bowled faster, one thing was occurring, and I wasn’t capable of play comfortably,” Shikhar stated.
“I stored that in thoughts and experimented with it once I was bowling – to not bowl too many slower balls, and to focus primarily on bowling high-pace deliveries. I used to be bowling that odd, slower ball in between, in order that they don’t get used to my tempo,” he added.
Revealed on Nov 19, 2025