"Excited about rubbing shoulders with Sehwag" - CM Gautam Interview

CM Gautam

CM Gautam was a name to reckon with in this year’s Ranji Trophy. His brilliant unbeaten 264 against Maharastra in Pune, and 257 against Vidharbha in the same season apart from a couple of century stands made him the highest run-getter in the domestic tournament.

He has been in astounding form and has re-written a few records too. Not surprising then that this hardworking wicket-keeper batsman has been roped in by Delhi Daredevils for this year’s Indian Premier League. For the past three seasons, Gautam was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore but he never got an opportunity to showcase his talent.

However, this year, he is hopeful of making a name in the shorter format.

In a quick chat before his game at the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gautam speaks of the contract with the Delhi team and his preparations for IPL 6.

Excerpts:

Excited about bagging a contract with Delhi Daredevils?

Actually, I was hoping for a chance to play with the Delhi Daredevils. I have the best chance to make it to the playing XI. There’s only Naman Ojha for keeping and sure enough I could get a chance to play.

Didn’t it seem like a last minute move because there were other teams too who were in talks with you?

Yes, other franchises were in touch with me but Delhi I think, was the right move. I had kept my options open and Delhi approached me only at the nth minute. With the deadline to finalise the teams on March 4, I was a bit tensed since I had not made up my mind.

You are a sort of a player who likes to take time to settle down before scoring runs. Is that going to be a bit of a worry during IPL?

There’s still a month to go and I know I have enough time to improve my game. I know T20 will be different from Ranji. There’s a T20 tournament that’s coming up and I am hoping to get match practice there. I am working on a couple of strokes that might help me in this format. More than anything, after a good season in the Ranji, it has given me a lot of confidence. It’s not too difficult to get singles in the beginning. I need to get my strike rate up to succeed in IPL.

Scoring runs in Ranji would fetch you a couple of newspaper articles but IPL can be a big platform to showcase your talent. Are Family and friends thrilled about the opportunity you’ve earned?

Yes, everyone is really excited about the opportunity I have got. I was with RCB for 3 seasons but never got to play a single game. My parents are obviously excited. They just want me to go and play my natural game, keep my basics right. I need to trust my good cricketing skills and shots and that will fetch me a lot of runs.

Can you tell me a little bit about your wicket-keeping? This season was good in terms of keeping too, right?

My footwork has improved compared to my past performances. My fitness has improved a lot and that’s a big plus. I totally enjoy keeping. My coach JAK (J Arun Kumar, Karnataka coach) has also taken special care of my training. He has been helping me a lot.

Any particular player from the Delhi Daredevils you are looking forward to play with?

I am looking forward to rubbing shoulders with (Virender) Sehwag. I want to learn a lot from him and it’s going to be a great experience for me.