Even as his cricket career has turned around for the good, Sakariya has had to deal with a few body blows this year in his personal life.
Left-arm fast bowler Chetan Sakariya earned his maiden India call-up for the ODI and T20I series on the tour of Sri Lanka. Amidst enduring losses in his personal life where his brother and father passed away, the speedster has managed to take giant strides in his cricket career.
From a base price of INR 20 lakhs, Sakariya fetched INR 1.20 crores from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL). Prior to the IPL, his brother died by suicide and after the tournament was suspended in the first week of May, his father, Kanjibhai breathed his last after contracting COVID-19.
“I lost my younger brother and a month later I got a big IPL contract. I lost my father last month, and god has handed me an India call-up. I was in the hospital for seven days when my father was battling for his life. This is an irreplaceable void. This one is for my late father and for my mother, who allowed me to continue with my cricket,” he stated.
After making his IPL debut, Sakariya played all seven games for the Royals. In his very first game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), the youngster caught the limelight as he picked up the wickets of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. Overall, he managed seven wickets and had an economy of 8.22.
The fact that he made his way into the national squad after a handful of IPL games did take Sakariya by surprise to some extent. “The way people were talking about me after the IPL, I was thinking that now at least I have a chance to be a net bowler for the Indian team,” Sakariya added.
