Bowled by a mystery spin

A few months ago, a young bowler with an uncanny style of bowling got the Twitterati talking about him. Cricket afiacionados were surprised and some were even in awe of this unorthodox player’s bowling style. Twenty-one-year-old Shivil Kaushik made a mark when he played for the Gujarat Lions this IPL, and he recently displayed his mysterious style at the KPL. Recollecting his IPL experience, he says, “It was a great experience — I learnt so many things. I’ve seen these big cricketers on TV and the next day, I was sharing the dressing room with them! I’m looking forward to the next season.” The spinner is all praise for his GL captain Suresh Raina. “He was one person who always encouraged me. He always backed me and said there’s no limit for improvement. He was always there for me,” he shares.

For Shivil, his rendezvous with the game happened when he was a nine-year-old. “My dad was also a cricketer and a good friend of Sadanand Vishwanath. In fact, I trained at Vishwanath’s academy,” he reveals. As an aspiring bowler, the lanky lad looked upto Anil Kumble and Shane Warne and now, he’s a fan of Proteas powerhouse AB de Villiers. With his uncanny style of bowling, he caught the attention of numerous cricket aficianados and also former South African player Paul Adams, who Shivil is being compared to. “I’ve seen Paul Adams in action on YouTube, but there aren’t many videos of him. When I saw his natural action, I thought ‘if he can play for the country, why can’t I?’ He even tweeted about me and also gave me advice on how to better my game,” says Shivil.

His cricketing itinerary over the past couple of months included travelling to England to play at Yorkshire. “I played for a club called Hull and I got a chance to bowl in a different weather condition. I learnt a lot about the English lifestyle,” says the youngster, who is kicked about having bowled to the English Test side. “Meeting all of them was a great experience. Lords, being the home of cricket is a special experience for anyone who goes there,” says the student of St. Josephs College of Commerce. Ask him how he manages to do both college and cricket and he smiles, “I was a really good student till 12th standard. I got a 90 per cent. Also, my mother’s a teacher, so she never lets me off the hook. My college is also very supportive of me.”

When he’s not busy bowling, Shivil likes to play other sports like basketball and badminton and loves listening to music.

Quick fire
Fav sports person : Rafael Nadal
Fav actor: Shah Rukh Khan
Fav actress: Deepika Padukone
Fav movie: Million Dollar Baby
Fav holiday destination: Ibiza