From Bangalore to Hull, the IPL star with the action of a contortionist
John Fuller delves into the inaugural Yorkshire Premier League North and visits Hull CC and catches up with their intriguing new recruit
Hull CC’s ground is splashed with afternoon sunlight and where a young left-arm Indian spin bowler, fresh from the IPL, is continuing his cricketing education.
Shivil Kaushik was scouted while playing for Hubli Tigers in the Karnataka Premier League and was snapped up by IPL side Gujarat Lions.
His extraordinary, contorted action brings to mind the South African leftarmer Paul Adams from the Nineties and Kaushik snaffled seven wickets in six appearances in the T20 competition. It proved to be a rollercoaster, including 3-20 against Kings XI but also a chastening 0-50 at the hands of Virat Kohli.
Incredibly, with no contract following from an Indian domestic team, there was scope to expand his horizons and Kaushik has done just that through an exchange scheme called Cricket Beyond Boundaries, set up by Dr Samir Pathak.
Kaushik says:“Dr Samir told me that if you want to play in England, it gives you good experience because of conditions, the weather and bowling with a wet ball which is good for the IPL as there’s dew.”
The signing by Hull CC, who play in the inaugural season of the ECB Yorkshire Premier League North, of a player from the sub-continent to bolster their squad was aided by the success of Cricket Beyond Boundaries.
After all, Hull had already benefited from the scheme by signing Sarfaraz Khan in 2012 for a brief stint back in what was then the Yorkshire League. The talented 16-year-old brought no kit but promptly began tonking the bowlers at his first net in oversized gloves.
Khan went on to average 70 for India at the U19 World Cup in 2014 and his batting prowess meant he became the youngest cricketer in the IPL when he joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in 2015.
Talking to Hull’s secretary David Willson, they half-expected Kaushik to be a shy lad given that he’s 20, perhaps unsure of himself as this was his first time out of India. But everyone has been struck by his energy and enthusiasm.
The recruitment of a professional cricketer from the IPL also hasn’t hurt Hull’s attendance for training on Wednesday nights with the usual 15 or so lads doubling due to the sprinkling of IPL stardust.
But what was it like to face him in the nets? Surely, impossible to get bat to ball? Willson plays for Hull’s 2nd XI and has talked to team-mates who have had a net against their overseas star:
“Obviously, it’s a big challenge to face him.What cracks them up is that he still does bowl some bad deliveries and then he bowls an absolute weldy of a delivery.”
A ‘weldy,’ it transpires, is local vernacular for a beauty but I prefer the Hull version and, anyhow, I got the gist. But beyond an ability to turn the ball sharply, something else has caught the eye of his new club.
Willson picks up the story:“One thing we’ve noticed is the hours that he practises. It’s probably six hours a day and if no-one’s down here, he’ll just bowl in the net on his own. That practice and work ethic to get to the level he’s at is something that’s interesting.”
There are also cultural differences that are taking some getting used to compared with the bustle of Bangalore: “Regarding Hull, and Yorkshire in general, he can’t believe how quiet things are. He’s shocked by that. He quite likes it actually, it’s just a different pace to what he’s used to.”
Kaushik arrived in Hull, had a bowl and was still able to play outdoors beyond 8pm due to British Summer Time and the long evenings and ample natural light that go with it. This apparently has “totally blown his mind” given that back in India, evening cricket means floodlights or bowling in the dark.
Back at Hull for the match against Woodhouse Grange and to meet the man himself, both squads are warming up and working through their fielding
drills. It’s a modern, communal multisports facility in a city of a quarter of a million but must feel like a world away from the IPL.
I am pretty much the capacity crowd although an elderly gentleman takes a seat nearby, having come along because he’d “heard there was an Indian fella from the IPL who’s meant to be good”.
At least the fickle Yorkshire weather is playing ball. For Shivil’s home debut against Dunnington the week before, according to the player, it was positively Arctic:“The first two weeks were very cold. Tough to grip the ball!”
While not clenching his chattering teeth, Kaushik got through 14 overs and opened his account with a steady return of 2-40 but also picked up a golden duck with the bat, which prompted some stick.
Fast-forward a week and when we catch up on the boundary, Hull have lost the toss and are batting so there’s time to gauge his thoughts on what can be gleaned from cricket in England:
“It’s more about getting used to conditions,” he says.“You never know if I’ll tour England so it will be much easier for me to settle down.”
He added:“The wickets are much wetter here because there’s a lot of rain so the wicket keeps low and you don’t get much bounce. It’s a little bit tougher for the spinner as they’re slow so the batsman can get into a good position to play the ball.”
Talking to the Hull CC lads, their pitch tends to be feast or famine but rarely much in between. Either it’s a deck where batsmen can drop anchor and cash in or the kind of strip that bowlers desperately want in their back pocket every week.
We get around to talking about Shivil’s distinctive bowling action that he’s doggedly stuck with since childhood. When he releases the ball, Kaushik’s tilted head means he’s looking towards the skies – but wildly different doesn’t necessarily translate to calamitous.
“It’s something that came naturally to me since I held the ball for the first time. It’s the only action I can bowl and even if I tried any other action, it’s not possible for me to bowl!” he says.
For the moment, the spinner sits among his new team-mates and can
It’s something that came naturally to me since I held the ball for the first time. It’s the only action I can bowl and even if I tried any other action, it’s not possible for me to bowl!
only watch as Hull’s top six disintegrates inside the first hour against the new-ball pairing from Woodhouse Grange of Andrew Horner and Steve Burdett.
With clouds knitting together and the expectation of rain disruption, I head over the road to see Hull Zingari at home to Easingwold in the York & District Senior League and then travel on to Hessle and Welton and Brough to sample matches across the region.
The forecast for later was diabolical so the prospect of Kaushik getting a bowl felt unlikely – but then so, too, did a Hull win after being 38-6 but they somehow pulled that out of the bag.
Rather than mustering 50 all out, it was courtesy of Charlie Hodgson’s knock of 75 that Hull were able to post 121 with Shivil’s cameo of 17 batting at No 10 also proving vital.
If Kaushik’s subsequent 1-38 off eight overs wouldn’t grab any headlines, Hull broke their losing streak and the following week, against Scarborough, there was a sense of momentum with his five wickets in another Hull victory.
Time will tell if Shivil Kaushik becomes a household name but he’s off to a strong start and has certainly made an impression at Hull. In fact, he’s caught the attention of England who invited him to bowl at the squad before the Pakistan Test series.
Away from the lights and showbiz of the IPL, the hard graft of Yorkshire league cricket will be a reality check but it should stand the young spinner in good stead as he aims to kick on his promising career.