Sodhi the T20 gun
That elephant in the New Zealand dressing room is growing by the day, with Ish Sodhi the latest Black Cap to try and apply the blinkers for the looming Indian Premier League auction.
After celebrating the Knights’ Twenty20 Super Smash final win over the Stags in Hamilton, Sodhi was on a plane to Wellington the next morning for training, ahead of Monday’s first T20 international against Pakistan.
You sense Sodhi’s frustration at not getting a crack in one-day international and test cricket but for now the world’s his oyster in the shortest format.
The legspinner rocketed to No 1 on the world T20 international bowling rankings after the 2-0 win over West Indies, then helped spur the Knights to their title on Saturday with 2-15 off four overs.
Whisper it quietly, but another big reward could loom this Saturday when 25-year-old Sodhi joins 23 other New Zealanders in the IPL auction which they’ll monitor online from afar.
‘‘The best way I’ve ever heard it described is Corey Anderson saying you’re like a car being auctioned. Last year was my first time in the auction so I was a little bit more nervy and excited,’’ Sodhi said. ‘‘As you grow you realise it’s completely out of your control and you’ve got to get on with it and do your job as best you can. Results like that will come as a result of hard work.’’
Sodhi and his team-mates are right to be as low-key as possible about the potential millions of rupees that could flood their way if franchises enter a bidding war. Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Colin Munro were among those to miss out last year and all put compelling cases in recent months in international cricket.
Sodhi’s T20 international record is remarkable. From 18 matches he has 29 wickets at an average of 14.89 and economy rate of 6.89, and his climb to the top of the rankings was matched by Munro and the Black Caps team.
After Munro became the first man to score three T20 international centuries with 104 off 53 balls against West Indies in Tauranga, he now sits above Australia’s Aaron Finch and India’s Virat Kohli on the rankings list. New Zealand, meanwhile, are nar-