Among the best upcoming talents in Indian cricket, fast bowler Kartik Tyagi is expected to make a big name for himself in the future. The Hapur-born 21-year-old was a star during the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2020, hosted by South Africa. He was impressive in the tournament and took 11 wickets for the Indian Colts.
Recruited by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 2020 player auctions for Rs 1.30 crores, Tyagi played 10 matches in his debut season, taking nine wickets. Injury issues forced him to play only in four matches in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, picking up four wickets.
In a recent video shared by the franchise’s official Twitter handle on Friday, the former world number one Test bowler Dale Steyn was heard saying, "Just gradual. You're a Ferrari, you take off in first gear, not sixth gear. Slowly but surely, I want you to get to the sixth gear."
He still made a name for himself in IPL 2021 after conceding just one run in the final over against Punjab Kings (PBKS) while defending four and winning the game for his side. This was just the second time a player had defended less than five runs in the last over of the match after Munaf Patel, who achieved this feat for RR against Mumbai Indians (MI) back in 2009.
At the IPL mega auction, Tyagi was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 4 crore and will now have the knowledge of senior Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar as well as T Natarajan. But one member of the coaching staff whose presence is sure to boost the youngster's abilities is former South African pacer Steyn.
Tyagi is yet to make his debut for SRH, but under the tutelage of Steyn, that day might not be too far away. He may replace pace sensation Umran Malik in the future games if the Jammu & Kashmir pacer continues to leak runs.