One could excuse Indian fans if they never heard the name Roman Walker before this week — but the 21-year-old bowler for Leicestershire has provided such a performance, with both bat and ball in the warm-up match against the visiting Indian side, that the fans will remember him for going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest stars of world cricket.
Roman Walker, hailing from Wrexham in Wales, is yet to play a first-class match, but that didn't stop him from troubling the Indian batters in the warm-up match. He ended the first innings with 5 wickets from his 11 overs, taking the scalps of Rohit Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, and the one he won’t forget — Virat Kohli.
Walker, talking to Leicestershire’s in-house media team, Foxes TV, said “You want to play against India when they come along. (I was) Surprised to take 5. Kohli’s wicket was a nice moment for me. A couple of my mates texted me saying there's one for the grandkids." Walker, bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, was facing a well-set Kohli batting on 33, when an away-swinger pitching on the middle stump hit the former India captain's pads. Kohli was surprised at the decision but had to walk off, while Walker celebrated with his fielding-side teammates — including wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.
{{/usCountry}}Walker, talking to Leicestershire’s in-house media team, Foxes TV, said “You want to play against India when they come along. (I was) Surprised to take 5. Kohli’s wicket was a nice moment for me. A couple of my mates texted me saying there's one for the grandkids." Walker, bowling alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, was facing a well-set Kohli batting on 33, when an away-swinger pitching on the middle stump hit the former India captain's pads. Kohli was surprised at the decision but had to walk off, while Walker celebrated with his fielding-side teammates — including wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant.
{{/usCountry}}“It's a great thing to learn from the other end. Just talking to him about options, how to play different bowlers, very valuable.” Leicestershire’s cameras picked up Pant joking around with the Leicestershire slips cordon, and it is reported that he also shared lunch at the same table as his hosts at the Uptonsteel County Ground.
On bowling alongside experienced internationals like Bumrah and Krishna, Walker had much the same to say: “Yeah, they are great blokes. I mean, they talked to me almost every ball whenever there was room for a bit of advice.”
With the warm-up match drawing to a close, India will be gearing up for the Test match against England at Edgbaston, while Roman Walker and his fellow Leicestershire players will walk away with invaluable memories and experiences going forward.