Leg-spinner Shubham Agarwal is mobbed by his teammates after he picked up his maiden five-wicket haul against Tamil Nadu on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy fixture at SNR College grounds in Coimbatore. (Photo Credit: TNCA)
Into his ninth domestic season, putting all three formats together, the legspinner Shubam Agarwal has played only 42 matches for Chhattisgarh. He has even played a lone IPL fixture for Gujarat Lions in 2017 – the first from his state to do so. But for years, he has just been looked at as an old piece of furniture who the team doesn’t want to let go off, but doesn’t give enough attention either. With Ajay Mandal and Jivesh Butte in the mix, Agarwal in many ways depicts the plight of a leg-spinner in India’s domestic circuit.
On Monday, the 30-year-old Agarwal had his best moment under the sun, grabbing his maiden five-wicket haul to allow Chhattisgarh dream of a famous away win against Tamil Nadu. Having resumed the day at 23/1 in response to Chhattisgarh’s total of 500, Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 259 in their first innings, with spinners taking nine wickets. With just two points in their kitty and seven points there for the taking, Chhattisgarh made TN to follow-on and they were 71/1 in their second innings, still trailing by 170 runs.
The pitch, which had remained largely flat over the first two days without any rough patches, would come into life on Day 3. On a hot day, the surface would eventually break open here and there, aiding the spinners with grip and bounce. And as expected it was the two finger spinners – Butte and Mandal – who gave Chhattisgarh the breakthroughs in the first session after the overnight pair of N Jagadeesan and night watchman S Ajith Ram added 73 runs for the second wicket. And once the two fell with less than 100 on board, Butte cleaned up Pradosh Ranjan Paul immediately after lunch.
Waiting patiently for his chance isn’t new for Agarwal, who has been Chhattisgarh’s perennial bench-warmer. Being a leg-spinner — a commodity that usually grabs the eyeballs of IPL franchises – Agarwal spends every season with hope. But since that 2017 season, the closest he has been to IPL is to the trials and as a net bowler for Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. It is surprising Agarwal hasn’t played more than one IPL fixture, for he has all the ingredients to be successful and is also handy with the bat.
“Thing is our state is such that we don’t play enough matches and this is my only fifth Ranji game. I’ve been attending trials regularly, but hopefully next season I will be a player next season,” Agarwal said. And Shashank Singh, who played for Punjab Kings this year, nods in agreement. “We have the talent. It is all about luck at some point, especially at the top level. We need to perform as a team as well so that people notice. If we make use of the crunch games, then surely would be noticed,” Shashank said.
And Chhattisgarh, undoubtedly came good in the crunch moments, especially in the second session as Agarwal’s leg-spin did all the damage. There was an air of familiarity about the venue and the opposition as well for Agarwal. In 2023, playing the Buchi Babu Tournament, Agarwal had taken a five-wicket haul including a hat-trick, against Tamil Nadu at the same venue. And on Monday, he would do a stellar job. In the 18.2 overs he sent down, Agarwal didn’t have a maiden to show, but his wicket column made for a perfect reading.
“As Shane Warne said a leg-spinner should have a good friend as a captain and I’ve that,” Agarwal said about his skipper Amandeep Khare who gave him enough boundary riders as well as fielders at attacking positions. “Leg-spinners are expensive and you need a big heart to bowl these days and my teammates and coach gave me that. With runs on board, I could even rely on my variations like the flipper,” he added.
For Tamil Nadu, this was a rude awakening. Since their preparatory camp, the batting group have been preparing for worse days like this, where they are without their key players and opposition on top. And when the actual day came, TN froze. Barring Shahrukh Khan (50) and Andre Siddarth (55 n.o), the rest crumbled. The 18-year-old Siddarth, especially, showed why there is huge hype around him. Having batted at No 8 in the first innings, it didn’t come as a surprise that TN sent him in at No 3 in the second essay as he breezed his way to an unbeaten 36 at stumps.
