'There was always a surprise for me every year'- Yarns from the Root Academy | Part-2

In the first part of the conversation with Niesant, we learned how he gushed into the cricketing fraternity in his late teens, call-up in the RCB camp, and his interactions with Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and so on. The 24-year-old also shared insights about bowling to Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and other cricketers in the nets, and the setbacks his career saw during the peak of his game. 

Niesant is one of those cricketers from the eastern part of India who has travelled to various parts of the world, exploring the rich culture of cricket. We’ll unfold a lot more about the right-arm quick in this segment, but before that, it’s my recommendation to the ones who have directly headed up here, to surf through the first part of this conversation in order to get a clear understanding of his journey.

You are the first cricketer from Bengal to represent the South Australia Cricket Association (SACA)? What are the notable differences between cricket in India and cricket in Australia?

So there are few notable differences, and that's minimalistic. I think India has a good club system, and management, but Australia is no less. I don't think we lack anything at any point in time. But when we come to the cricketer's point of view, we cricketers should take a few things more professionally. Things are a bit different there. The conditions are different there, of course. The weather plays a big part in it.

Apart from India and Australia, you've played in South Africa too. So which is the best condition suited for your game?

I shouldn't be saying that my game is suited to one condition, then I'll be a one-dimensional player. As a cricketer, we have to suit our game to different situations. The initial days are a bit difficult as one needs to understand the pitch conditions, how the weather behaves, manage workload, etc. These things are essential. I feel that any good cricketer can suit to any conditions. I really like bowling in Australia, South Africa, and even in India, there are very good pitches for fast bowlers. In all these conditions, the games are different, and there are different challenges which I really enjoy.

You were also invited to the Root Academy of High Performance. Could you brief a bit on it?

I toured with the Root academy in South Africa in August 2018. They invited me over there, and it was a very successful stint for me as a player. After that stint, I returned to Kolkata, and many coaches and players invited me and asked about my experience so that my insights could help them. So that's how I played for Prospect D.C.C as well. It is the same club of which Sir Gary Sobers, Barry Richards was a part. Even former England skipper, Joe Root represented Prospect District Cricket Club.

In Australia, Joe Root's coach, Shaun Siegert, has trained many international stars such as Root himself, then there is Rory Burns, and many more… To my knowledge, he has coached more than 120 FC cricketers and around 30-40 internationals. He is someone who has a good insight into the game. He helped me a lot as well.

My stint in Australia changed me, and his insights also helped me. It bettered me as a person and refined me as a player. Thus, I am truly grateful and thankful to Shaun and Root Academy. 

What is the mindset that you carry while bowling to well-established cricketers like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, etc?

Initially, when I used to bowl to a batter, in my mind, it used to be specifically Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, or Shikhar Dhawan. But later, I learned that it was not about bowling someone specifically. They are batsmen to me, and I am just a bowler to them. When on the ground, when you are bowling, you need to think you are equal; only then you can get the better of them. There is obviously mutual respect, but one should always back your strength, back your game.

You are from West Bengal, and the state itself has a rich culture of sports, especially cricket. So what made you go outskirt of Bengal and try cricket in other countries?

I started cricket during my late teens; I was 17-18. In my mind, getting into youth cricket was very difficult - the State cricket. The first year, I thought I needed to be good enough to get into a good place. In 2017-18, I had chances to represent the club division, but I couldn't as I had an injury, which I mentioned earlier. And soon after that, in 2018, I was diagnosed with Dengue and was admitted to the hospital. 

By the time I had recovered, the season had already begun. The doctor advised me for a month's rest, but the next day after my discharge from the hospital, I went to play and train. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't give my best, and to be honest, the club officials weren't impressed. The following year, I went to Australia and played a season there. I signed for a club later and had to play with a broken finger too. Fortunately or unfortunately, I survived my injuries. There was always a surprise for me every year.

Share some insights on your start-up, 'Gr8ness Sports'.

'Gr8ness Sports' came to my mind during the time of covid when the world was stopped. It aims in uplifting the game of athletes. It deals with player management, marketing, and collaboration with some athletes in the UK, US, and South Africa, for some high-performance tours, elite tournaments, and programs. 

This is to give the athletes some platform, to provide the people with a place to showcase their skills and get better. So, if you give it to the game, the game will give something to you. You need to be disciplined, honest, and very sincere to the game. It's more about the developments- mental developments, skill developments or maybe it's more about opportunities.

How did the pandemic affect you as a cricketer?

I think it affected the whole of the globe. Some people lost their lives, and some lost their livelihood. It was a difficult situation around the world. When I returned from Australia, I had a contract in England in North Yorkshire League. But I couldn't go there due to the pandemic. So when my career graph seemed to rise, Covid happened, and its graph started to rise.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I do have long-term plans, but I have divided them into short targets so that I can achieve them one by one and focus on the present rather than what's in front of me in the next five years. But obviously, anyone who is playing the sport would like to see himself don the national jersey. 

In the next five years, I want to represent Ranji Trophy cricket more than IPL. I like First-Class cricket. There is a fascination for Test Cricket and there are a few things in line for me. I'll be again going with the Root Academy in Australia, which might be in September and October. I don't know if I would be staying with the same club again, but I'll be playing in the SACA Premier League again.

What is the funniest thing ever that has happened to you on the cricket field?

So, I was training in Australia in the early morning and then there was Shaun, who makes you run and run and run... He is someone who'll never make you feel comfortable about training, and I can assure you that. We were making some 200-meter sprints, I guess twenty 200-meter sprints, and you know how the body feels after that. 

Post-training, I was getting ready for batting and after facing ten balls, I got hit in my inner thigh pad and realized that I was not wearing my abdomen guard. While going for batting, I felt that “I am missing something, I am missing something”. After facing ten balls, I realized, "Oh, I missed this!"

You can say this is scary and funny at the same time. I have a habit of forgetting things from time to time. It also happened that I left my passport once in a restaurant in Australia.

Lastly, a message you wish to share with all the budding cricketers?

There will be times when you feel that the world is breaking down, but you can't give up. This is not why you started. You need to be patient and wait for your chances. You need to be working on yourself and your talent and try to control the things that are only under your control, and trust the process eventually.