INTERVIEW
Follow UsJust visualise yourself playing cricket.
What’s the best you can do individually in your wildest dreams?
Perhaps score a century in the 20-over format. That’s already wild, isn’t it? Okay, maybe you can even add a few wickets to that list; that would already be one heck of a dream.
How about a hat-trick? Oooh, that’s a good darn dream to boast about.
Now, wake up and smell the coffee because these records seemingly won’t be a reality.
But what if I tell you that all the aforementioned records are part of arguably the best individual performance of all time? You would be shocked, wouldn’t you? That’s Krishnappa Gowtham for you.
While he might certainly joke about his 134, eight-for (which included a hat-trick) and two catches, it is one performance where everything on this planet went right for Gowtham.
“I think so [arguably the best all-round performance]. I think it was one of those days where I was living my dream. Probably, the runs were satisfying, but getting eight wickets in a T20 was the icing on the cake. One of those days when everything came right and fell right in place,” a gleaming Gowtham told Cricket.com from the sidelines of the Maharaja T20 trophy, where he plays for Mysore Warriors.
Cricketers with such records, often tend to not just be in a league of their own but be in a cloud-nine land. Not Gowtham, who insisted that the performance only gave him confidence that he could go out there and repeat such magical things over and over again.
“Probably not, people have got hundreds and 4-5 wickets, I can’t compare my hundred to other hundreds. It gives you a lot of satisfaction, pleasure and confidence. It is just about being myself. I keep repeating in my head, whenever I went in, I went in with a lot of confidence, self-belief and went there and expressed myself, had a lot of fun,” he added.
Where better than home for Gowtham to return back to his all-round best?
After stints with Shivamogga Strikers and then Mangaluru Dragons in the first two editions of the Maharaja T20 League, 2023 Maharaja T20 finalists Mysore Warriors welcomed the all-rounder with both arms. The camaraderie between the franchise and the all-rounder is such that even someone as articulate as Gowtham struggled to put that relationship into words.
“I’m happy to be back home [Mysore Warriors]. It is a different bond, it can’t be put into words. The interaction that I have with Arjun [Hoysala] sir or the management is completely different from all the franchises that I have played, let it be IPL or whatever,” Gowtham said.
“With Arjun sir and with others here, it is a different bond altogether. More than me, my wife was very excited that I went to Mysore Warriors. I was thoroughly excited; after a while, it sunk in, and it can’t be described in words. The passion they have for the team gives you a lot of motivation,” he added.
But there was almost a seven-year gap between his previous stint for the Warriors and now, a phase where even the tournament got a facelift from Karnakata Premier League to Maharaja T20 league. Naturally, a lot has changed since then. So, how does Gowtham see that change?
“A lot has changed over the period of time. Personally for me, I have become much calmer than before, I think I understand myself better understand what are my strengths and weaknesses, and being temperamental doesn’t always work. That’s what keeps me going, the desire and passion to win,” Gowtham spoke about the changes.
“Even if we play a warm-up, I want to win always. One is passion, it is about your effort. If it happened, okay, if it didn’t happen also, I can put my head down and say I tried my best. If you didn’t put in effort and expect a miracle, that wouldn’t happen. The more you grind, the better you get.”
Anyone could be an off-spinner, it isn’t even that big a deal, you might be wondering. In fact, that’s the consensus of a lot of newbie cricket viewers around the globe. But Gowtham doesn’t quite fit the bill of a ‘traditional’ off-spinner.
What does one even mean by that?
Let me break it down for you. Traditional spinners wait for the field restrictions to end and show their worth on turning surfaces. But Gowtham belongs to a school where these spinners have to be not just effective but also efficient across phases of a T20 game, including taking the new ball for his various franchises.
In just the powerplay phase (1-6 overs), the 35-year-old has bowled 65 overs thus far, with 16 wickets while still being efficient, maintaining an economy of 8.2. So, does all of this take more toll on him?
“It is more of a mindset you should always challenge yourself, for me, the more challenges are there, the best comes out. I always enjoy the pressure, I never shy away from pressure, I always want that pressure to get the best out of me. Bowling in the powerplay, you are under a lot of pressure, but you need to give your best.”
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At 35 years old, Gowtham certainly is one of the most experienced campaigners in this Warriors’ camp. But that isn’t the only factor that makes him experienced: it is the wealth of experience that he brings from his various stints at the Indian Premier League (IPL) that separates him from the lot.
Gowtham has already represented five franchises at the IPL level, including being one of those rare few players to win the competition with both Mumbai Indians (2017) and Chennai Super Kings (2021).
So, what has he learnt from being part of both these setups?
“When it comes to MI [Mumbai Indians], they are thorough professionals. They focus more on the game part and they give whatever is needed for the player to keep them in a good headspace. Everything is sorted,” Gowtham shed light on the MI camp.
“In CSK, they add a lot of value, they make sure that your family is comfortable and you are comfortable. At the same time, if you are not in the best of spaces, if they get to know, you will be surrounded with a lot of positive vibes. CSK and MI have tasted a lot of success because they value each and every player,” Gowtham spoke about CSK’s idealogies.
But over the last two years, the dynamics at the IPL have changed drastically with the introduction of the impact player rule, wherein the influence of the all-rounders has been nullified to an extent where it has all but put a halt on their development at greater levels.
Gowtham has experienced both sides of the coin, and he pointed out Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) swashbuckling batting display to be the greatest beneficiary of the rule.
“It is a mixed feeling, you can’t really justify or oppose [the impact player rule]. We can’t say that it is very good for a cricketer or it is bad. Sometimes, because of an extra batter, the teams are able to bat better,” Gowtham opened up on the impact player rule.
“If you see this year’s IPL, they understood the impact rule much better. The biggest example was SRH; they went bang bang, and if they lost wickets up front, they still had the firepower to continue. It is a mixed feeling for me, ya I could play a lot more games because of this rule.”
Over the last 13 years, Gowtham has certainly seen the ups and downs of a professional cricketer, be it spending time in victorious dressing rooms or be it spending long hours on the bench wondering why the opportunities haven’t quite come his way.
That has made Gowtham, who he is today, a ‘hardened’ soul, transformed into a leader.
“Being a senior and given the added responsibility, I don’t think for me nobody has to tell me to go and talk to them. Naturally, I will go and talk to them and try to understand where they are coming from. ‘Go ahead’ is what I look at; it comes from within for me, I always try to help the youngsters,” he said.
As with most players in the country, the ultimate goal of a cricketer’s life is to represent their country. While Gowtham has already played for India in the One-Day International (ODI) format against Sri Lanka, the hope still remains that there will be further opportunities in the future.
“The desire to play for the country never dies, irrespective of age. I’m playing the best cricket of my life right now. I’m more mature and understanding right now, and why do you play this game? Because you love it,” Gowtham answered as candidly as possible.
“My biggest pride is playing for the country, and when you put that logo on your chest, it is a great honour; playing for the nation is something that I dreamt of. I was fortunate, god has been kind to me. I got the opportunity to play for the country. Playing for the country is the ultimate goal, and god has been really kind.”
Gowtham is out there with all his might to force an Indian comeback, and as it stands, even that dreaded number - 35 - can’t seemingly stop him from soaring high.
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