"We wanted to change the line of thinking" - Chetan Sakariya opens up on Saurashtra's white-ball success

Chetan Sakariya has witnessed a number of ups and downs in the past year, including his brother's suicide and his father's death to COVID-19. However, the 24-year-old showed great mental strength to cope with the twin tragedies and come out stronger. Destiny smiled on him just months later, giving him his maiden India call-up for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The young pacer has become an overnight sensation after his impressive performances in the IPL 2021 season as well as domestically for Saurashtra. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Chetan Sakariya opened up on the efforts he is putting into his bowling, the white-ball season that Saurashtra had, and much more.

He has evolved as a bowler over the past year. However, Sakariya doesn't feel he is doing anything different, apart from the fact that he has tremendous self-belief now, which is getting reflected in his performances.

"I haven't changed anything in bowling, but I am bowling with a lot of confidence," he said. "Whatever I am doing it is with a very clear mind and it is working for my bowling.

Chetan Sakariya on Saurashtra's success in white-ball cricket

Saurashtra were unlucky to miss out on qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy, finishing second in their group despite remaining unbeaten. However, they had a great run in white-ball cricket, making it to the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Chetan Sakariya bowled really well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was one of the main reasons why Saurashtra almost made it to the final. The 24-year-old picked up 13 wickets in seven games and made great use of subtle variations.

Saurashtra have been among the best teams in red-ball cricket of late. But Sakariya revealed that Jaydev Unadkat and his men were keen to prove their mettle in white-ball cricket too.

"Saurashtra is known for being good in the long format," he said. "But we were excited and eager to do well in white-ball cricket too this year and at least win one of the two titles. Everyone thinks the team does only well in long format and we wanted to change this thinking. Jaydev Bhai, Cheteshwar Bhai and the entire support staff worked really hard this time and the team selected too was different. So this is why I think we did well in white-ball cricket."

Chetan Sakariya on his India debut and working under Rahul Dravid

Chetan Sakariya was a part of the second-string Indian team that toured Sri Lanka when the main Indian side were in England. He played a couple of T20Is, but was particularly impressive in the ODI, finishing with figures of 2/34 from his eight overs.

For any youngster, playing for India can get a bit overwhelming at first. Sakariya explained how head coach Rahul Dravid prepared him mentally to give his best on the field.

"Rahul sir gave me great clarity in our first conversation," he recalled. "When I first met Rahul sir, I had many doubts whether I would perform well if I get a chance. But Rahul sir told me that I was here due to my ability and I should trust my strengths and dominate the game. He also gave me example of Bhuvi bhai and Deepak bhai.

"This gave me confidence that even I can do well," he added. "Because of that only I did well in the first ODI. There was a bit of pressure on me at the beginning but it got better with time and Bhuvi bhai also gave me some valuable advice."

Chetan Sakariya on playing for India

India do have incredible depth in their bowling department, especially in white-ball cricket. The likes of Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan have shown that a terrific IPL season can be a catalyst in representing India at the highest level.

However, Chetan Sakariya isn't focusing much on the future as he wants to stay in the present and work hard. He believes in destiny and wants to give his best to whichever team he plays for.

"I have neither set any target as of now nor am I thinking much about the future," he said. "I want to do well in one game and then take that confidence into the next game and try to help my team win. Because due to this, my performance will improve. As far as playing for India is concerned, if it is in my destiny then definitely the roads will open up. But I feel the fast bowling combination in the Indian team right now is really good and has ticked all boxes."

With India missing the presence of a left-arm pacer, it will be interesting to see whether a good IPL 2022 season can propel Chetan Sakariya once again into a national reckoning.