Can't Give It All If You Are Thinking Of Price Tag: CSK's Krishnappa Gowtham

Cricket Image for Can't Give It All If You Are Thinking Of Price Tag: CSK's Krishnappa Gowtham (Krishnappa Gowtham (Image Source: Google))

Getting picked for Rs.9.2 crore by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as the most expensive Indian player in IPL mini-auction left off-spin bowling all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham shivering, but he was also happy and brought tears to his entire family as it was a "very emotional moment".

Having played just two games for Kings XI Punjab in last year's IPL and done very little in the 2019 edition in seven matches, Gowtham, 32, has little to show in terms of performance from the T20 tournament.

But of his knocks, from 2018, has stuck in the minds of CSK management. Gowtham hammered two sixes in the penultimate over as he and Jos Buttler scored the required 28 runs in the last two overs to win Rajasthan Royals a league game against the MS Dhoni-led CSK.

"I never had any kind of numbers in my mind. I never believed even when the auction was happening that this would actually happen. When it all got over, I was literally shivering but at the same time, I was very happy."

"My family was also very happy. I was constantly talking to my wife; a lot of emotions were running through. I enjoyed every bit of it," Gowtham told IANS from Ahmedabad, where he as India's net bowler is helping the team prepare for the third Test against England, beginning on Wednesday.

Gowtham, however, has plenty of experience in first-class cricket which gives him the belief in his worth. He has taken 166 wickets in 42 first-class matches and scored at a strike of close to 80 even in multi-day format.

The Rs.9.2 crore amount is the last thing on his mind, he says. "It doesn't put any pressure on me. I have played so many domestic matches. It is all about the experience, about the domestic experience. It is about how you turn it into energy. You can't go out there with a price tag on your mind."

"You can't really give it all when you are constantly thinking about the price tag. I don't think you can ever perform or be the way you want to be with a price tag [on your mind]. You have to go out there and play the way you have to. That is how I am going to think and approach the game [IPL]," he explained.

Gowtham made his debut in Ranji Trophy debut for Karnataka in 2012 but was left out of the team for three years, from 2014 to 2016, due to poor performance. It took some work on the mental aspect and skills to get back into the Karnataka Ranji team. He attended a couple of spinners' camps.

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