I didn't expect that Chetan Sakariya would bowl so well: Virender Sehwag

Former Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag praised Chetan Sakariya for his brilliant bowling against Punjab Kings. The 22-year-old was the star bowler for the Rajasthan-based franchise. He returned with the figures of 3/31 on his IPL debut. The youngster struck in the third over to get rid of Mayank Agarwal (12) and then returned in the last over to dismiss KL Rahul (91) and Jhye Richardson (0). Sakariya's brilliant performance amazed everyone, including the legendary batsman Virender Sehwag. The former Indian cricketer lauded the youngster's fearless approach. He also compared Chetan's temperament with former India left-arm pacers Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.

Chetan Sakariya's imposing IPL debut goes in vain

Rajasthan Royals picked the Saurashtra left-arm seamer at the price of Rs 1.2 crore. In 16 T20I games to date, Chetan Sakariya has scalped 28 wickets at an economy rate of 7.08. The youngster had a brilliant Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which eventually handed him the IPL deal. Sakariya first rose to fame when he scalped 18 wickets for Saurashtra in the Cooch Behar Trophy in 2015. This gave him a chance to train under Glenn McGrath under the MRF Pace Foundation. Chetan made his first-class debut for Saurashtra in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. 

Sakariya has so far featured in 15 first-class and 7 List-A matches, but it is his dismissals in the T20 format which stand out. The southpaw has grabbed 31 wickets in just 17 games. Known for his accuracy and ability to swing the ball, the left-handed pacer gave a glimpse of his talent. He displayed his ability in his very first match of the best and the most competitive T20 league in the world. The left-arm bowler, who was in excellent form, will be eager to maintain his momentum in the RR's next IPL outing.

The Rajasthan Royals, however, lost their opening games to Punjab Kings by four runs in Mumbai. Asked to bat first, KL Rahul (91 off 50) and Deepak Hooda (64 off 28) powered Punjab Kings to an imposing 221 for six. In reply, RR skipper Sanju Samson scored a breath-taking 119 off 63 deliveries. His brilliant knock included seven sixes and 12 boundaries. Despite Sanju Samson's heroics, Punjab Kings won the last-ball thriller by four runs in Wankhede to get their campaign off to a winning start. Rajasthan Royals will now play against Delhi Capitals on April 15 in Mumbai.

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