Honesty, pragmatism and staying in present — Sandeep Sharma's mantra

The 29-year-old Rajasthan pacer was in the middle of it all with a wicket off a no ball in the final delivery of the match against SRH on Sunday.

Rajasthan Royals's Sandeep Sharma.(Photo | AP)

CHENNAI: Just after the 2018 IPL final where Chennai Super Kings outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad to win their third title, several memes — as is the case with every game — on the match were trending on social media. One among them was on Sandeep Sharma, who had a day to forget — 1/52 in four overs. The meme was from the Bollywood movie Gangs of Wasseypur portraying three armed men riding a bike on their way to beat up someone at their house. The caption on the meme read — SRH fans be like: Sandeep Sharma ke Ghar Chalo Jaldi (Let’s go to Sandeep Sharma’s house quickly).

It would be expected that when someone sees such a meme with their name on it, they'd be upset and perhaps even worried for safety. Sandeep still remembers it vividly, not because of how bad it made him feel, but for how much he enjoyed it. He says that it is the funniest meme about him. "I just laugh. Even my wife, she shows me some memes about me, and we laugh," says the Rajasthan Royals pacer with a chuckle. "Actually, to be very honest, I'm so fascinated about those people whose minds are so fast, they make these memes within five minutes after this match gets over and you take your phone, open social media within 10-15 minutes, all these memes will be circulating. It is incredible. Even if I have not done well, and I have been in that position, I have seen all these memes. And to be very honest, I just laugh."

That sentiment almost perfectly sums up Sandeep as an individual. The 29-year-old's brutal honesty comes as a breath of fresh air. He doesn't mince words, can take a joke, has the ability to laugh at himself, and can also be empathetic towards others. For example, as much as he enjoys the memes about himself, Sandeep is not a fan of the memes made on Ashok Dinda for his economy in the IPL, calling bowlers who go for runs as 'Dinda Academy'. "I feel so sorry because I feel he did so well, his economy and (Dwayne) Bravo's economies are similar, I think only better (Dinda's IPL economy is 8.23 and Bravo’s is 8.38). His records are incredible with a red ball. He has been amazing. Once you start taking all these things (memes) in a serious way, you can't open social media or you can't live your life peacefully I feel."

With Sandeep, what you see is what you get. He did not hide his disappointment after not getting picked in the 2023 IPL auction last December, nor has he hesitated to stand for the causes he believes in — both on and off the field. "The thing is everyone is like that only but people pretend to be different when they talk to other people or when they are in public. I try to be myself or whenever I'm talking, I try to be honest about what I'm thinking or what my thought process is. It is always good to speak such things and if you talk your honest things, whatever is going through your mind, the listener also likes it. It is like that with me."

Meanwhile, he is also a pragmatist. Although he felt bad about not being signed by any team for a couple of days, having been a part of the league for so long, Sandeep knew there was always a chance of him playing in this IPL. "Every year, fast bowlers get injured, right? And this profession is like that, injuries are more. So, I was just hoping if somebody gets injured and if I get that opportunity, I should be ready. I was practising, I was working hard on my fitness. I was doing everything that I could do," he says. Which is why, when RR skipper Sanju Samson called him around 20 days before the season — they were looking to replace the injured Prasidh Krishna — Sandeep was ready.

And come April 12, he had to step up for Rajasthan. The 29-year-old was bowling the final over to defend 21 runs against MS Dhoni at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Sandeep doesn’t hide the fact that he was under pressure. He admits that he would be lying if he said otherwise. However, he stuck to his strengths and held his nerves to deliver a crucial win for Rajasthan in front of a packed Chennai crowd.

"In the end, my thought process was that I have worked so hard bowling yorkers in the nets and let me bowl that ball. And after that, if I don't execute or he hits a good shot of that, I'll take it. But if I try bowling any other ball and that goes for six, it will hurt me and I'll get angry with myself. So I kept it simple. That ball which I have practised the most, I tried the ball and it came off that night." 

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After that match against Chennai, a video of his daughter Sohani cheering for Sandeep in front of the television went viral. So much has changed in Sandeep’s life in the last 12 months after her arrival. He is relishing fatherhood and is happy that the 10-month-old is finally starting to recognise him on video calls. "It's a new experience for me and I'm still learning so many things about fatherhood. Yeah, it (life) has changed a lot. I am also wondering how parenthood changes your thought process naturally. I feel she's very lucky to me. I changed my jersey number after 10 years of IPL. This year I'm playing with her birthday number (20). In my team, there are few players who are fathers to older children like R Ashwin, Jos Buttler, etc. I speak to them. They say everyone goes through it. So, it's like you are from India or England or Australia or anywhere in the world, I feel emotions are the same towards your kids or any human being."

On the field, Sandeep is still hungry. He has been toiling in domestic cricket season after season. He has been one of the star performers in the IPL for over a decade now, and he is just 29. He is unapologetic of the fact that he started playing in the league when he was only 18 while making it clear that he is not someone who keeps living in past glories or crib about it. He wants to stay in the present and do well for the RR's cause in the IPL. And he has done that so far. Such has been his performance that he has been RR's go-to pacer, along with Trent Boult, this season, both with the new ball as well as in the death.

Among other things, what has helped him succeed is the ability to take success and failure in the same light. Sandeep doesn't go overboard with his celebrations after a good day nor does he get hung over after a bad day. He has played enough cricket to understand the fickle nature of the T20 format and how important it is to forget the previous day's performance the next morning. In fact, he sets very realistic, short-term goals and works towards them.

"I just want that within the next couple of games we qualify for the playoffs. And, from thereon, hopefully win the trophy. This is what my goal is for the next 20 days. If I do well, and we as a group do well, and win a few games, we will be there in the playoffs. You never know, a couple of good performances and you win the tournament. Once you win the tournament and you have done well, all the doors open, right? So, this is how it goes. This is what I'm thinking at the moment," says a resilient Sandeep.

Even if things go South and he does have a bad day — as he did on Sunday taking a wicket on a no ball in the final delivery of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad before conceding a six off the free hit — with memes being made on him, Sandeep will likely be laughing at them before moving on to focus on what he has to work for the next game.