Leg-spinner Nirankar Sharma claimed a Player-of-the-Match haul of three for 21 on his TNPL debut as Dindigul Dragons opened their title defence without R. Ashwin on the field and an injured Varun Chakaravarthy.
Dindigul Dragons kicked off their Tamil Nadu Premier League campaign on Tuesday facing questions over how the 2024 champions would manage without two of their key spin bowlers on the field. R. Ashwin was present only as a mentor in the dugout, while Varun Chakaravarthy is still recovering from a hamstring injury.
Stepping into the breach was debutant leg-spinner Nirankar Sharma, who delivered a Player-of-the-Match performance, returning figures of three for 21 against iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans. Nirankar, who relocated from Madhya Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in pursuit of his cricket ambitions, choked the run flow in the middle overs with a tight spell and was the lone Dragons spinner used in the match.
"I was just so excited. It was an emotional moment for me because I had waited for it (making his maiden appearance at such a level) for years. I could not have asked for a better debut. The Dragons management, Ashwin bhaiya and Inder (B. Indrajith) anna have been supporting me a lot," Nirankar said after the game.
The 26-year-old credited Ashwin for shaping his development off the field. "I had dreamt of working with him. He has been superb with his mentorship. He is expecting a lot from me. Hopefully, I fulfil his expectations. I cannot ask for anything better with what is going on in my life," he added.
Having made a strong first impression on debut, Nirankar will now be looking to build consistency as the Dragons' season progresses.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.