February 13, 2022: Sushant Mishra unsold in IPL auction.
December 23, 2022: His name doesn’t appear in the final list.
December 19, 2023: Bought for Rs 2.2 crore by Gujarat Titans.
From not finding bidders at the auction table to both Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans showing interest, the contrast in fortunes couldn’t have been starker.
So, what does Sushant Mishra make of it all? “I was a bit emotional. I was not there last year. It is really nice to be picked in the auction. I saw the first bid and got a bit emotional, I did not see the bidding war,” Sushant told RevSportz.
The potential to not just bowl at a decent burst of pace but also pound the pitch was always noticeable. It was around four years ago, that this writer watched Sushant bowl for the first time in an Under-19 Asia Cup game between India and Afghanistan in Colombo. The left-arm pace bowler ran through the cream of the batting unit and bagged a five-for.
This was followed by an impressive performance in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, where the player from Jharkhand picked up seven wickets at an average of 19.85. It included a three-wicket haul against Pakistan. Sushant employed the short-ball tactics to great effect in that game.
“The World Cup was a big thing for us. It was an opportunity to show our talents. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the tournament, but it was great. Playing on South African wickets is something that I really liked,” he noted.
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The year 2020 also saw Covid-19 wreaking havoc, with domestic tournaments being cancelled or postponed. Sushant has a philosophical take on it. “It was a very difficult time for everyone. There were very few matches, so we had to do well in every opportunity we got. Back then, I made my Vijay Hazare Trophy debut and tried to do well.”
Despite external factors hindering his progress, he did recall a fond memory or two from that time. “My most memorable memory would be taking five wickets on my Ranji Trophy debut against Chhattisgarh,” he said.
This year, he also produced his best figures in the T20 format, taking a four-for versus Vidarbha. “The match before that, I was rested. They wanted me to come out fresh. I did my job, went out there, bowled fast and took wickets.”
These descriptions might make one think that Sushant was always a fast bowler. But his first love in cricket was actually batting. His coach, though, saw a hidden talent in him. “I always wanted to bat, but my coach, the late Sashikant Pandit sir, said that you have a good action and you can improve. So I took up bowling. Back then, when I was a batsman, we used to play tennis-ball cricket in Delhi streets.”
Sushant was good at studies too. He cleared CBSE Class X from DAV Pundag with 80 per cent marks. From playing on the streets to taking up fast bowling seriously and balancing studies, the 23-year-old has shown a mature head so far. The IPL is the right platform to showcase his talents on the big stage.
As Sushant says, “I’m quite excited to play for the Titans, because there is Aashish Kapoor sir, who I have worked with during my under-19 days. There is Shami bhai, Umesh bhai, all these senior players. Looking forward to playing some good cricket and also having some fun,” he signed off.