Rahul Dravid used to encourage me by referring to Pat Cummins’ story, reveals Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Remember Nagarkoti, the 18-year-old tearaway speedster who set the 2018 U-19 World Cup ablaze along with Shivam Mavi? Well, ever since his exploits — nine wickets at an average of 16.33 — that led to India’s title triumph in New Zealand, and he and his partner landing plush IPL contracts with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Nagarkoti has had a torrid time. He missed the 2018 IPL season due to a foot injury before being ruled out of all cricket in 2019 due to a major back injury. As he finally approaches his return date, Nagarkoti revealed how Dravid kept him motivated by referring to Cummins’ similar injury woes and comeback.

"At the start when I got injured, it was difficult to come out of it. When I was at the NCA, Dravid used to come and talk to me. He had told me 'Pat Cummins too took 3-4 years to make a comeback (after suffering from injuries), so don't think that you haven't played cricket for about two years. Just keep your focus and wait for your chance and don't get frustrated, don't feel negative that you aren't playing but your (Under-19) team-mates are playing. Everyone goes through such a time. Be patient and try to improve as much as you can, and during such a time you get the chance to learn a lot of things. Just wait for your chance'," Nagarkoti told Cricbuzz.

During the tough phase, the young fast bowler also developed a friendship with India's Test wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, who had also been going through his rehabilitation programme for a troublesome shoulder injury. 

"For most of the (junior) players, when we interact with senior players, we feel how can we talk, how would they behave with us? But talking with Saha made me feel happy, and it never felt like he was a big player, he is a very humble person. And I had a lot of fun while spending time with him and had a lot of good things to learn from him. He himself was injured, so he said to me 'when the time is tough, you will be tested on how you handle it' and I learnt a lot," Nagarkoti said.

Stress fractures of the back are quite common with fast bowlers — India’s No.1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah being a recent example. But on occasions, coaches recommend some tweaking of a fast bowler's action to prevent further injuries. 

"Not much, just a minor change. Yes, I have changed it a bit, you can't prevent injuries, even if you become perfect, but you can reduce the chances of getting injured, which I have tried to. There isn't much change, other than that I'm trying to focus on my original action,” Nagarkoti added.