Swapnil Singh has become an overnight star, playing a vital role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s stunning run to the IPL playoffs.
Speaking on RCB Bold Diaries after RCB win Swapnil tecalled how he had contemplated retirement before RCB chose him at the auction in what was an emotional moment for him and his family.
“The day of the IPL auction I was travelling to Dharamsala for a game. It was around 7-8 pm after I landed. Nothing had happened by then and the last rounds were on. When I missed out at first, I thought that’s it. Frankly I thought it was all over,”
“I thought I would play out the ongoing (domestic) season, and if needed, I would end my career after playing the next season because I did not want to keep playing all my life. There are other things to do well in life as well. I was very disappointed,” said the veteran cricketer, who had made his senior domestic debut back in 2006 as a teenager and also shared rooms with Virat Kohli at age-group level.
He credited RCB head coach Andy Flower for keeping the faith in him in the lead-up to the auction. Swapnil had impressed Flower as a net bowler earlier, and the coach asked him to come for an RCB training camp.
“Before RCB picked me in the auction, they had organized a trial-cum-camp. I spoke to Andy sir and told him all about how my (domestic) season had gone. I told him, ‘Just give me one chance. This might be my last chance. Just have faith in me.’ He told he had faith in me. He called me for the camp,” Swapnil said.
“I never entered the ground thinking that I am not playing. My first practice session was the first match for me, it was not just a practice session. I knew that I would have to be on target from ball one if I had to play even one game. So, nets was my match,”
And when the opportunity came, he grabbed it with both hands, eager to contribute with both bat and ball. “I would tell my brother that I have neither scored a four nor a six in the IPL, and I have taken only one wicket. So I really want to hit a four and a six.”
As it turned out, Swapnil made an impact right away on RCB debut. He hit a six and a four in an unbeaten 12 off 6, and also picked up a couple of wickets. “I knew that if I got a chance to play, our captain Faf (du Plessis) would definitely give me an over to bowl. And in my first over, I did not bowl six balls, I bowled seven. I did not know I would bowl a no-ball. And I got a wicket off the seventh ball, so it is god’s blessings,” he added