CHENNAI: For long, M Shahrukh Khan was gaining attention for his name — he was named after the Bollywood star since his mother's cousin is a huge fan. Though the 25-year-old has got used to people inquiring the story behind his famous name, he had wished to rewrite his identity for what he is good at: power-hitting.
On Thursday, the sight of IPL franchises fighting it out for him in the auction to eventually be bought for Rs 5.25 crore by Punjab Kings — his base price was Rs 20 lakh — was an indication that he is on course to write a new chapter. "At least now, people will remember me for my potential with the willow," he laughs.
Having made his debut for Tamil Nadu in the List A and T20s in 2014, it was only in the last two years that Shahrukh's name has been doing the rounds in the domestic circle. Though he plays as an opener in the state's flagship T20 league, he has been used as a finisher for Tamil Nadu in the limited-overs. In a slam-bang era where a batsman is weighed on his strike rate and impact than the number of runs he scores, Shahrukh stole the limelight for the same skills in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s last month. Twelve off four, 18 off 10, 40 off 19 and 18 off seven balls — the Chennai player knows a thing or two about changing the course of the game in the short format.
Unlike many who goes berserk with unorthodox shots, Shahrukh accumulates runs with his clean hitting. And he credits working with R Prasanna, Tamil Nadu's assistant coach, for this improved performance. "I played as a finisher last season too. Compared to that year, I've improved a bit. I have begun hitting wide yorkers well and started being consistent in scoring runs from the good length balls. It was evident in the Mushtaq Ali T20s."
Like how the pandemic-enforced lockdown was a blessing in disguise for many to fine-tune their skills, Shahrukh also utilised this break to add variety to his batting. Having had surgery on his little finger last January, he had to wait for three months to get back to training. During the lockdown, when no ground was within the reach to train, he would go to his friend's place where there was a net facility on the terrace. He would then hit countless balls and improve his range.
"Dinesh Karthik and Prasanna played a big role. Our coach Prasanna has given a lot of insights on how to be better, when to shift gears in an innings, how to handle crunch situations better etc. Importantly, I learned how to stay patient during pressure situations," explains Shahrukh. "My trainer Azhariah Prabhakar also helped me become stronger and fitter, he's been with me for the past 10 years," explains Shahrukh. He admits that working on his core strength to clear the ropes also helped in the churning out match-winning cameos in the Mushtaq Ali.
"After being unsold in the last auction, Shahrukh now has a chance to make people take note of him for his performances — and not for his name."