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'He smiles when he plays a rogue shot. If he gets away with it, he laughs...': Leicestershire's Walker on IND youngster
Walker got to play alongside the likes of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, who played for the Leicestershire XI as team India prepares for the rescheduled Test match against England.
Leicestershire cricketer Roman Walker suddenly jumped into the spotlight of cricket fans across the world as he exceeded all expectations in his county team's warmup match against India. The 21-year-old took four wickets in the first Indian innings, including those of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. (Also Read | ‘Dinesh Karthik demands a place in T20 WC squad': Manjrekar makes huge statement on 37-year-old's stunning comeback)
He also got to play alongside the likes of Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah, who played for the Leicestershire XI as team India prepares for the rescheduled Test match against England beginning on July 1. Coming in to bat at number 9 for Leicestershire, Walker joined Pant at the crease, and went on to provide a good account of himself with a well-made 34.
Pant and Walker combined for a 70-run partnership, helping Leicestershire close in on India's first innings total. It was a partnership with its share of aggressive batting and flair, with both batters contributing at a decent clip. Walker was quick to praise Pant for his batting as well as the camaraderie he had shown to him and the rest of the Leicestershire players.
"It was great, Pant has been great with our boys. He is great fun to bat with. He smiles whenever he plays a rogue shot," said Walker, speaking to Leicestershire's media team. "If he gets away with it, he laughs, if he doesn't, he laughs.” Pant had scored 76 and had started taking the long-handle towards Ravindra Jadeja, but couldn't kick on as he top-edged one and was caught by former Delhi Capitals teammate Shreyas Iyer.
“It's a great thing to learn from the other end. Just talking to him about options, how to play different bowlers, very valuable." Several Leicestershire players commended Pant and the other Indians playing for their team, with reports saying that they shared lunch at the same table during the intervals in the game. Pant, known as a cheery and upbeat individual, was often also picked up by the cameras cracking jokes and chatting with the slips cordon.
Walker has never played a first-class game for Leicestershire, but his strong performances with both and ball are sure to catch the attention of many and earn him call-ups to more senior levels of the game in due time.
