He was bought for ₹2 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL auction and has been a regular ‘net’ bowler for the India team.
Rajasthan’s Aniket Chaudhary used to biff the ball to distant corners playing tennis ball cricket. In his early days in the game, he fancied himself as a batsman.
It was only when switching to the leather sphere that Aniket realised he possessed something special. “I came to know that I could bowl quicker than the other boys. I was only 12 then but I had speed,” he said to The Hindu here on Saturday.
“The Indian team does not have a left-arm paceman and they have called me four times this season. They like the pace at which I bowl,” he said.
Indeed, Aniket impressed the Indian team-management while bowling at the nets during the Tests at Kanpur, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune this season.
The left-armer’s angle and pace are his strengths. “During the domestic T20 competition recently, twice I touched 145 kmph. And I have been bowling consistently at 140 kmph.”
“I am a seam bowler, seam the ball away or cut it back into the right-hander. There are times when I bowl cross-seam and the ball skids through. I can bowl round the wicket and enjoy bowling the short-pitched delivery.”
McGrath connection
Chennai is a familiar territory for the 27 year-old. It’s here that he learnt the nuances of fast bowling from Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation. “McGrath sir taught me how to use the non-bowling arm to generate speed. He told me to bring the arm down and then pull it back up and keep it firm and upright. My pace increased.”
In 39 First-Class matches for the State, Aniket has 129 scalps at a creditable 27.44.
