KPL 2018 | From tennis ball cricket to white ball cricket - the Naveen MG story
Naveen MG opens up to SportsCafe about his journey from street cricket to the KPL with the Bijapur Bulls franchise as he gave us some insight into how he established himself as one of the rising stars down south.
Bharat Chipli-led Bijapur Bulls were struggling at 69/5 when young all-rounder Naveen MG walked to the crease at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. A quickfire 44 off just 25 deliveries ensured that last year’s runners-up reach a competitive total of 128/7. Although the Tigers were able to chase down the target with comfortable ease due to a strong knock by Mohammad Taha, there were some promising signs from the Bulls squad. Such is the ferocity that Naveen brings to the team and to the KPL in general due to his attacking approach to the game.
Still aged just 22, Naveen became the costliest buy in the third edition of the of the Mangalore Premier League as Udupi Tigers paid Rs.75,000 for his services back then. That amount might seem like a paltry sum when compared with the IPL auctions and even the KPL auctions, but it served as a morale booster for the young lad from the village of Mandya in Karnataka. Since then, Naveen has firmly established himself as an attacking all-rounder and recalled how his journey in the sport of cricket began in an exclusive interview with SportsCafe.
"It's been a while since I started playing cricket. I began playing cricket at a young age of 12 and always had an attacking outlook towards the game. Every ball I face, I look to hit it towards the top and that is what separates me from the other batsmen in my category. It makes me comfortable to play in the style I prefer.
"Cricket-wise, I want to play more games in the shorter format of the sport. I am looking forward to playing more T20 games as compared to four-dayers. White ball cricket is totally different and you need to adapt yourself to the game more quickly and you need to be prepared mentally to face good bowlers and if you give your hundred percent during the T20 format, it can take you to the next level. I've been with the Bijapur Bulls for four years and I am looking forward to this season in the KPL," Naveen, in his usual calm and composed demeanor, said while being ready for a team photo-shoot.
Naveen rose to the fame when he smashed a quickfire 52 off 30 deliveries back in the 2016 edition of the KPL to hand his team a win and secure a permanent spot in the starting line-up. But the youngster revealed that he was not always keen to pursue a career in cricket initially and credited his uncle for giving him the push he needed to take his game to the next level.
"I used to play more of street games like street cricket and gully cricket, my uncle pushed me towards competitive cricket and put me in a summer camp. I met with a very good coach and he supported me in my bowling and batting. I started to focus more on my bowling more than my batting. I started to score the same amount of runs in white ball cricket as I did with the tennis ball. Knowing that I was scoring more runs than people my age made me more confident in my own abilities because that is the style in which I play.
"I worked on my technique even more and that made realize that I was capable of being both - a batsman and a bowler. Right now, it gives me great honor to be representing my state of Karnataka as an all-rounder," Naveen added.
Naveen has been part of the Bulls’ squad for the last four seasons now and was one of the four players along with skipper Bharat Chipli, spinner KC Cariappa, and Ronit More to be retained by the Bijapur-based franchise for this season of the KPL. The explosive all-rounder added that the KPL was a great platform for young cricketers like himself to establish a name in domestic cricket and attract the attention of the IPL scouts over the course of the season.
"It's not about diifculties per se, but it's about how much work you are willing to put in to improve your game. If you are confident in your game and if you are able to perform, you will get your chance. I was very clear about my thought process and my game and that made me feel very comfortable during games. I started working on the technical aspect of the game and met with a very good coach who helped me improve my game and take it to the next level. I was focused, calm and worked in the areas where I needed improvement," the 24-year-old added.
When quizzed about any interesting anecdote from his life, Naveen revealed that "I once threw my cricket bat at my mother, she was trying to hide it from me I guess, but yeah, that is the only incident I can tell you about. During my younger days, I used to bunk my exams and go for selections right up until my college days."
Renowned for his explosive outlook towards the game, the young all-rounder was quick to point out that he looked up to Indian great - Sachin Tendulkar for inspiration. Having said that, he also singled out Australian all-rounder Shane Watson as a role-model in recent years due to the latter’s attacking approach towards the game, which resembled that of Naveen’s.
"Out of the cricketers I used to look up to Sachin Tendulkar a lot, but after becoming an all-rounder I started following Shane Watson of Australia as he was an attacking player like me," he added.
The Bulls were admittedly second best in their first game against the Tigers, but despite the narrow loss, there were a lot of positives to take from the game. The Karnataka all-rounder thanked franchise owner, Kiran Kattimani, for the chance and believing in his abilities as the Bharat Chipli’s team look to repeat last year’s heroics.
"I would like to thank Kiran Kattimani sir who picked me for the Bijapur Bulls squad at a tender age of 18. That was the first time I got picked for T20 cricket and I was very scared to play under lights for the first time.
"It was a daunting experience to play under professional coaches and senior players like Abhimanyu Mithun and Deepak Chogule and that made it more clear that I was playing a league match. That's been a journey for me.
"I was not sure I would make it to the starting XI and when I found out that I was in the team, frankly, I did not sleep the entire night. I would specifically like to thank Abhimanyu Mithun who really helped me improve the bowling aspect of my game, how to bowl, what not to bowl and when to bowl a specific delivery. Now, I feel like a senior member of the Bijapur Bulls squad," Naveen concluded.
While hard-work seldom goes unrewarded, many cricketers lose themselves in the oblivion while trying to overcome the obstacles and the fear of failure. But Naveen has already rung a bell in the KPL and maybe, has set the stage for much bigger and grander things to come.