Indian born Kiwi leg spinner in Anil Kumble mode - In a conversation with Ish Sodhi

Ish Sodhi – New Zealand’s latest spin sensation

Inderbir Singh Sodhi, or as the world knows him, Ish Sodhi is a tall leg-spinner in Anil Kumble mode. Born in Ludhiana in India, his parents shifted to Auckland when he was 4 years old. As a cricketer, he started out as a pacer, but switched to leg spin.

Under the tutelage of former New Zealand spinner Dipak Patel and medium pacer Matt Horne, he got his career kickstarted. When failing to break into the Auckland side, he moved to Northern Districts and there caught the eye of selectors. He had an average season, but the likes of Dan Vettori spotted the talent.

Since then he’s been part of 3 series win – 2 at home against West Indies and India, and an away win in the Windies – making the last year a dream run for him. He played a match against the country of his birth and has trapped the master Chanderpaul twice in front of the wicket in his short career. Currently, he’s a part of the Northern Knights squad in the Champions League T20.

Here, he joins Sportskeeda for a chat:

P.S.: This interview was taken before Knights’ match against Hobart Hurricanes last week.

How has Ranchi treated you? It’s been a lucky venue so far for Northern Knights.

It's starting to feel quite a bit like home now. It's become quite familiar to lot of our boys, and I think the conditions we're getting adapted to, because we have played last 4 matches here. It's credit to our batting last night, how much we do know the wicket and how we can use it to our advantage in the next few games.

Looking forward to playing in front of your family in Mohali?

Yeah, we're looking forward to being able to get to Mohali. It's almost like once you get this match out of the way, once you give your 100 percent, that I can look forward to and plan for what it's gonna be like in Mohali.

It’s been a great year for you, being fasttracked into the national side after just one domestic season.

The last one year I've seen some amazing things - I've been a part of I think 4 Test wins, and 3 Test series wins - when you look at it that way, then it's been a pretty good year to be a part of New Zealand cricket. I hope I can continue and it's really nice to come here and add a Champions League to that list as well.

How much an influence have Dipak Patel and Daniel Vettori been for you?

I didn't meet Dan Vettori till I was 19 years old. Lot of my coaching was done through Dipak Patel at the point of time when I was quite young. Then Dan came when I was 19 and I got to bowl to him. Gave me some advices and appreciations, saying things which he did in his time in cricket.

A lot of current spinners focus on a lot of variations. What’s your modus operandi?

I think my leg spin is my predominant weapon, and I look to give it a crack. That's what I look to do in all formats. [The planning] does change slightly with conditions.

Over here, I found the dew factor to be something you have to deal with bowling later on in the evening. I have had to adapt my game to overcome it, and I feel like I've been able to achieve that so far. It might come in handy because we do have a few more night games to play.

The usual plan for the Knights has been to deploy Tim Southee and Trent Boult up front with you coming on in the middle overs. Have you ever considered coming on earlier as a more attacking option in T20s?

I've never opened the bowling in T20 so far. Apart from [Samuel] Badree not too many wrist spinners have done that job. If given a chance, I'll take it and give it a full on crack, but my job is more about building pressure through dots in the middle and save the runs. If I get a couple of wickets, I take it as a bonus, and it's credit to the work that is being put on both ends.

Playing against India must have been special, for you and family back home too?

It was quite special being able to play in Eden Park here against India and I think a lot of them saw it on TV. It just took it as any other day and any other opposition. It'll be much more special when they (family members) will get a chance to be able to watch live at the ground.

Earlier this year, Ish was invited on Short and Wide Productions ‘Curry in a Hurry’ where he tried his hand at cooking:

Is cooking a hobby for you?

It's not really a hobby. I did quite a bit of cooking over the last couple of years. Wasn't generally Indian cuisine, but I just stick to my steak and veggies.

So, are you the official foodie guide in the team?

Yeah, they've had the generic dishes like Butter Chicken and Chicken Kurma. I think a lot of the boys crave for the vegetarian curries and Indian specialties which they probably haven't had before. I've been helping them out with sometimes at dinner.

Kumble or Warne – who’s your favourite?

Both are excellent and very different bowlers, and have amazing qualities that I respect and it'll be wrong to single out just one. Both are really great bowlers. At some point in my young career, there have been times when I'd model Anil Kumble and there would have been times when I'd try to model Shane Warne. It's just the respect for them that I'm doing what I am.

What has been your best on-field moment?

(Hesitates)... probably the win in West Indies in Kingston. The overall feeling of winning my first Test away from home is probably the best feeling on a cricket field I've had so far.

Who’s your dream wicket?

Umm.. It was quite a nice feeling to get Shiv Chanderpaul out when I was in West Indies. It's always a nice feeling to bag the wickets of guys you've watched playing while growing up. Can't single out just one. A lot of good players out there.