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'My confidence dropped. I went into a shell for 10 days': India pacer reveals having 'self-doubts' at Delhi Capitals
An India pacer recalled being low on confidence during his stint at Delhi Capitals during the IPL 2022.
The Delhi Capitals missed out on securing a place in the IPL 2022 playoffs but had a decent campaign overall. The Capitals, under Rishabh Pant, finished fifth with 14 points from 14 matches but had a few positives to look back on, the biggest of which was India spinner Kuldeep Yadav's return to form. The left-arm wrist-spinner picked 21 wickets and finished as the fifth-highest wicket-taker of the season. Kuldeep himself said he had a ball playing with DC and it was evident in his performance.
But while Kuldeep reveled in his outings for DC, another India bowler did not have the greatest of times. Picked for ₹4.2 crore, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya played just three matches for DC, and admits being low on confidence after being repeatedly ignored. Sakariya, who made his India debut last year in Sri Lanka under the tutelage of Rahul Dravid, got games against Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals, all during the fag end of the tournament and even though he picked up 2/23 and 1/17, he wished the opportunities could have been more.
"When Delhi Capitals bought me, I did think that I would get to play all the games. I wasn't demotivated when I didn't play, but my confidence level dropped a bit and there was self-doubt. But there was a change in my mental toughness. I went into a shell in the initial 10-12 days of the IPL," Sakariya told SportsKeeda.
Eventually, it was coaches Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson’s words that helped Sakariya put those thoughts behind him. "Ricky sir also knew this thing (about him feeling low). He always used to come and talk and used to tell that there needs to be frustration, only then you are a true player. This is what motivates you to do better when an opportunity comes," said the left-arm pacer.
"Shane Watson Sir realized that I was feeling low and although I was focusing on practice, something was off. So, sir called me in his room and spoke at length about many things. That made me feel a lot better."
