Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been known for nurturing young talents, led by their iconic wicketkeeper and former captain MS Dhoni. In their recent crop of youngsters is Mumbai off-spinner Salman Khan, who joined the CSK team as a net bowler.
In the brief interaction that he has had with the former India skipper Dhoni, the legendary wicketkeeper-batter told the youngster to put some thought behind his bowling as batters often try to go after off-spinners in the shortest format of the game.
“I spoke to Mahi bhai and Jadeja. I want to learn from them, these two months might change my life. I asked Mahi bhai about my bowling. He said, ‘Salman, off-spinner ko T20 mein sab maarne hi dekhte hai, so thoda dimag se dalne ka, jyada sochne ka (in T20s, everyone tries to hit the off-spinner, so put some thought behind your bowling)," Salman told The Indian Express.
Adding to this, the 22-year-old said, "He said he will speak to me after a few games. The franchise is treating us like everyone else. We are getting the same treatment like everyone else. The environment is superb.”
Salman, who is the son of a groundsman, also shared his excitement after receiving CSK's offer, who revealed that another Mumbai player had recommended his name to the team. "One day, I got a call from a Chennai Super Kings official asking me whether I can join as a net bowler for this season. Later, I got to know my name was recommended by (Mumbai player) Tushar Deshpande. I was excited because I will get a chance to learn, otherwise I would be just playing club cricket."
The Chennai-based outfit have a trend of picking up their net bowlers in their main squad. At the 2022 IPL mega auction, 25-year-old Mukesh Choudhary joined CSK at his base price of Rs 20 lakhs and 22-year-old Prashant Solanki for Rs 1.20 crores. This proves that Salman stands a chance to make it big with the four-time champions if the young spinner manages to impress Dhoni and captain Ravindra Jadeja.
