On top of the world: Vyshak impressed on debut, scalping the prized wickets of Warner and Axar.
There was a long-standing quibble among fans of Royal Challengers Bangalore that they did not have a local player to connect with.
On Saturday, pacer V. Vyshak quenched that thirst with an impressive debut (4-0-20-3) in the 23-run victory over Delhi Capitals, that included the prized wickets of David Warner and Axar Patel.
“I feel like I am on top of the world,” Vyshak said after the match. “Warner is one of the greatest batters, and taking his wicket, that too for my first in IPL, was great.”
Vyshak was ignored at the IPL mini auction held last December and was then included as a net bowler for RCB. He came into the main squad only as a replacement for the injured batter Rajat Patidar.
“I was very disappointed when my name didn’t come up in the auction because I had done well in the (Syed) Mushtaq Ali (T20) tournament (15 wkts, fifth-highest).
“But that’s how auctions go. When RCB called me (to be a net bowler) I wanted to know if I belonged to this stage because I was bowling to Virat [Kohli] bhai and all other great batters. I think I did well enough for them to give me this opportunity.
“For a Bangalore guy, it is a dream to be playing for RCB. I was lucky to be playing in front of 40,000 people. There were nerves, but only for a few balls. After that, I felt I deserved to be here.”
