KNOW YOUR PLAYER
Follow UsThe last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was filled with learnings for Atharva Taide as the youngster was part of the Punjab Kings, trying to absorb everything about batting and handling high-pressure situations from the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Liam Livingstone in the extravaganza.
While he did not feature in any of the 14 league matches, Taide returned home with some valuable experience that helped him elevate his game in the recently concluded domestic season.
“I am the kind who wants to take responsibility and win the game for the team. I have had a word with Shikhar Dhawan and coach Bayliss, and they have told me the same thing - whenever I get the opportunity, I will try to express myself. It is not about showing what I have, but it’s about doing the job for the team," he said in a conversation with Sportstar.
The left-handed batter scored 234 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 130 and 10 wickets in the 2022/23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, making him one of the all-rounders to watch out for in the competition.
He made his much-awaited IPL debut against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 22 in Lucknow, getting out for a three-ball duck opening the batting. He redeemed himself incidentally against LSG, where he smashed a 26-ball fifty in Mohali, when his side were chasing 258.
Rise to fame
Taide first created ripples in the domestic circuit when he became only the second player after Yuvraj Singh to smash a triple hundred in the summit clash of the Cooch Behar Trophy in 2018 against Madhya Pradesh.
The southpaw was also the third-highest run-getter in the DY Patil T20 Cup 2023, in which he scored 221 runs at a strike-rate of 212, including a century and a fifty from three innings for Mumbai Customs.
Stint in England
Taide also played in the Northern Premier Cricket League 2021 for Lancaster, a 50-over competition. He finished as the leading run-getter in the tournament, scoring 1,020 runs at an average of 68, including three fifties and eight hundreds in 18 outings. Believe it or not, he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the competition too, with his left-arm orthodox fetching him 54 wickets at 10.16.
He also scored a match-winning century in the Lancashire League T20 2021 for Darwen against Clitheroe.
India U-19
Taide made his Under-19 Test debut against Sri Lanka in 2018. He scored 113 and 177 in the two innings as his side went on to win both matches by an innings. In the 50-over games on that tour, while he did not do anything significant with the bat, he had spells of 2 for 19 (10 overs) and 1 for 1 (2) with the ball.
Domestic cricket
He has been an integral member of the Vidarbha squad, scoring 741 runs in 30 innings in T20 cricket at an average of 27.44 and a strike rate of 129.7.
Hailing from Akola, Taide was encouraged to pursue the sport by his father, an ardent fan of the game. The all-rounder graduated from the ranks of age-group cricket before making it to the state side in 2018.
Taide is coming into this season on the back of consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy, where he scored 499 runs in seven games at an average of 45.36, including his maiden first-class ton and three half-centuries.
