Hyderabad: In 2009, a teenage bowler took the IPL by storm, clicking 140 km/h almost every delivery and dismissing as many as eight batsmen in nine games. Kamran Khan was inducted into the Rajasthan squad under the protective wings of Shane Warne.
His best figures for Rajasthan Royals (RR) came against Kolkata Knight Readers (KKR) where he removed Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Sourav Ganguly, and Sanjay Bangar.
However, he could only feature in two fixtures after making his debut in 2009. Almost a decade later, Khan still thinks of making a comeback in the league and leave his mark if given a chance.
Q. By the looks of everything, it seems you are planning to make a comeback. How is your preparation going?
I couldn't play IPL due to injury. But I had recovered back then. I am working extremely hard on the field. I have the realisation how I need to bowl and practice for IPL since I have played in the league for few years.
I believe I am on the right track. I understand the skills I need to develop like bouncers, yorker and slower ones. In 2009-10, I used to bowl at 140 clicks and now I am getting that speed.
Q. Are you practicing under any coach?
I am currently training in Lucknow. I will move to Nagpur in a month's time for further practice.
Q. Most of the franchises these days are looking for players who can both bat and bowl. How are you preparing in such a scenario?
I have improved a lot in batting. I am playing a lot of friendly matches and scored 151 in 60 balls in one of the matches. I am able to score a lot of boundaries and sixes as well since I used to play with tennis ball before. I am hoping to do well in IPL too.
