Delhi Capitals sidearms and hurling specialists Aniket Berde, Darshan and Sai Pendam. (Photo by special agreement) New Delhi: With cricket evolving at a rapid pace and batsmen placing the ropes with monstrous ease, the role of specialist bowlers is still very important in any T20 setup these days. Not only does it prepare batters for high-speed music, but it also allows them to fine-tune a particular strike through repetitions that would not be possible with a regular pitcher.These days, it’s common to see members of the support staff with a big baseball glove and a robo arm at every practice. During international assignments, a special drop net is available for batsmen to do skill and repetition work; in an IPL setup, it’s more about getting into volume.
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Venugopal Rao on dropped catches and key areas Delhi Capitals need to improveSince it’s humanly impossible for pitchers to replicate the intensity of match day in the nets, pitching specialists have become the heart of every team’s preparation. IPL franchise Delhi Capitals have three specialists at their disposal who have unique skill sets and different storylines but the same desire: to ignite the speed guns.Aniket Berde
Aniket Berde hails from Kalyan, Mumbai. (photo by special arrangement)
35-year-old Aniket Berde hails from Kalyan, Mumbai, where he played club cricket before joining Praveen Amre’s academy in 2013. The academy bowls the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa, Shreyas Iyer, Shams Mulani Gomel and Aa.What makes Berde unique is that it is ambidextrous. He writes and bowls with his left hand, but bats and bowls with his right.“I was a right-handed pitcher in the beginning. So I used to be right-handed. But a lot of people throw right-handed. What makes me unique is that I’m a right-handed pitcher, but I throw left-handed. So I slowly started to throw left-handed. Now I can throw with both hands,” Jarunit told reporters on the sidelines of DCley Stadium.On this trip, he only threw right-handed until 2016. He then spent two years improving his skill with his left hand. The sidearm tool took some getting used to. “We used to use our hands, we didn’t have a sidearm. But when I got a handgun, I started learning to bowl with it. Then one day I saw Raghu bowling with Ajinkya (Rahane), sir. After that I started bowling right-handed.“First I started mixing with my right hand with the sidearm. I gradually developed it. I gradually started with my left hand as well. So when I tried it with my left hand, I was told I could continue. Now I mostly bowl with my left hand,” he explained.Berde’s foray into cricket started late. He was 18 when he was introduced to the sport and didn’t get many opportunities right away. That’s when he made the practical decision to train while playing to keep his playing options open.He embraced the growing trend of discard specialists and weapon experts as game chances dwindled with age. He has been with Delhi Capitals for a year and spent three seasons with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.Darshan
Darshan hails from Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir. (photo by special arrangement)
Darshan is the most experienced of the three throwdown specialists in DC’s fold. He joined the squad eight years ago, having previously played at the U-16 and U-19 levels in Jammu and Kashmir.His first foray into the capital as a cricketer came around 2012, before a serious back injury halted his journey in 2014. Two years later, he turned his full attention to coaching, becoming a specialist hurler.Darshan, 32, hails from Ramban district — nearly 150 km from Jammu. After his playing years, he trained and worked at the famous Sonnet club in Delhi. In 2016, the doors to the capital city of Delhi opened.When asked what makes a good throwdown specialist, Darshan explained that it’s not pace. “It doesn’t matter if you bowl 150 or 160 kmpg. It doesn’t matter. What matters is how many balls you bowl in a good length area, how many balls you get when you bowl a red ball. Or when you bowl with a white ball, you get more yorkers. It depends more on what the ball,” explained Darshan.Apart from IPL, Darshan has worked in ILT20 (with Dubai Capitals), Legends League, Asia Cup and J&K domestic team. “In 2021, I worked with the J&K team for two years. The team was also doing well then. We played a lot of tournaments in the off-season.“We were going abroad to play cricket. The problem with J&K is that there is little club cricket. There is more matting cricket. If club cricket comes, it will be better. There are more bowlers because they play on mat. If you play on astro(turf), it will be better. There is good talent.”Sai Pendam
Sai Pendam hails from Manikonda district in Telangana. (photo by special arrangement)
Sai Pendam began to speak to huddled reporters before sheepishly stepping aside and inviting his colleagues to respond first. Hailing from the Manikonda district of Telangana, Pendam is only about five feet tall. However, this did not stop him from pursuing his passion.His “push” to become a handgun and bowling specialist came after corruption stole his playing career as an off-spinner. When he started as a handgun specialist at the Adnan Cricket Academy in Hyderabad in 2021, at the insistence of his friend Ganesh, the learning curve was stiff.“He (Adan) told me I have a lot of talent. You can do it. You can go to a higher level. I started there.“After a month I started feeling pain in my shoulders. At one point I thought I was going to quit sidearm (coaching). He told me nothing would happen. He told me that’s how it starts. He told me if I get used to it, I won’t have any problems.” “Then I got a chance to get players to practice. I didn’t want money. I just wanted a chance. I was waiting for that chance.”That chance came during one such camp when he was spotted by DC head coach Hemang Badani, DC director of cricket Venugopal Rao, former India stumper Wriddhiman Saha and Ruchir Grandhi of the GMR group.He has since done several ILT20 campaigns, IPL seasons and Legends Cricket League in three years with the GMR Sports fold.
