Kumar Sangakkara inspires Ankit Sharma’s rise

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Ankit Sharma’s rise from virtual obscurity to premier spinner is worthy mention.

The left-arm spinner adds teeth to the Chargers’ attack with his subtle variations and ability to handle the new ball. “Ankit is one bowler who understands his role to perfection.

He is capable of bowling at all stages of the game and has understood those situations well. He is definitely the find of the season for us,” remarked DC skipper Kumar Sangakkara.

The Chepauk track should work well for Ankit who has shown steady improvement with each passing game.

For a bowler who gets the ball to grip the surface with sufficient turn, Ankit should be a handful as the pitches around the country shows more wear and tear.

“I try and keep things simple without worrying too much about the batsman or the match situation. If I can achieve that I am sure the wickets will follow,” said Ankit.

According to Ankit the role played by Sangakkara and coach Darren Lehman have played an influential part in his growth.

“I have not seen a better motivator than Lehman. Sangakkara gives a lot of confidence and his one piece of advice this season has been to try and turn the ball as mush as I can and not overuse the arm ball. It has worked well for me,” added Ankit who is one of the most economical bowlers this season.

For a bowler who is generally content bowling the lower trajectory, Ankit’s returns in limited overs have been better than in first-class. If he can add flight to his repertoire, he will only be more difficult to read. “It is not that I prefer one format over the other.

At the moment I am focused on doing well in the IPL and in order to do that consistent line and length is my mantra,” added the 21-year-old who turns out for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.

Chennai’s top order is filled with batsmen blessed with twinkle feet. If one can go by what has transpired so far, Ankit should relish the challenge and look at furthering his steadily improving graph.