Rahil Shah playing for Chepauk Super Gillies in the ongoing eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), might well be the first instance of a State selector playing in a domestic T20 league. It is one among several things that makes the league unique.
The 38-year-old left-arm spinner is a Tamil Nadu state senior selection committee member. He also plays for Vijay CC in the TNCA first division league.
Speaking over phone the day after Chepauk lost the season opener to Lyca Kovai Kings by 13 runs, he said that being a selector doesn’t affect the way he plays in TNPL. “I’ve actually been playing TNPL for the past seven seasons. So, the playing part doesn’t have any difference. I’m just playing like a normal player.”
He argued that he might have a small edge as a selector because of the unique vantage point he gets as a player.
“When it comes to the selector’s part, maybe it’s an advantage because I’m playing with all the teams. I’m seeing all the players in live action, so that might be a small advantage.
“I know the players personally, I’ve played with them, and I’m still playing with them. And all the new guys who are coming in, I can actually gauge them while playing with them. You know, how they handle the pressure situations and stuff like that,” he said.
As a selector, he might not fully watch a match. But playing a match and being there on the field helps the selector in him have full focus on the match and thus develop better impressions.
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“A selector might watch sessions here and there in a first-division match (three-day match).
“But while playing, I’m actually there the entire three days. So, I can actually gauge the intensity on the field - be it their fielding, bowling, or batting, how they handle the pressure situations, and how they handle those small situations that make small differences to the team.
“Like, for example, if a bowler is bowling a good spell and you’re looking at a particular batter, you look at how he handles or overcomes it from the context of where the match is placed. And for a bowler, if two batters are batting well and are in a good rhythm, you look at how he challenges it and builds up the pressure for the team so that the runs are curtailed. Small things like that.
“So, it’s an added advantage when you’re totally there on the field for three days. But as a selector, you might miss certain things. Sometimes you’re there, sometimes you’re not there, right? But for this, I’m always there.”
Speaking of TNPL’s evolution over the years, he said: “First year, actually, there were a lot of India stars like Dinesh Karthik, L. Balaji, and Abhinav Mukund. But over the years, there have been so many new people coming and expressing themselves. And it’s just phenomenal for the State that people have a tournament to showcase their skills on live television.
FILE PHOTO: Madurai Panthers bowler Rahil Shah in action. | Photo Credit: SHAIKMOHIDEEN A/The Hindu
“Nowadays, if you see anyone who’s coming in, they’re playing the reverse-sweep on the second or third ball itself! There’s no fear in them. There are bowlers who are ambidextrous.
“The game definitely has become more intense. And maybe, the players now are more equipped to face pressure. They are so expressive and daring. They want to create an impact.”
Asked what attributes a modern T20 player should have, he said: “It helps if he’s at least two-dimensional, if not three-dimensional. How he handles the pressure situations matters. And the third one is how he creates an impact.
“Most IPL franchises are looking at players who have that extra X-factor in them; players who can change the match. Still, players who are consistent, scoring at a strike rate of about 125 or 135 and carrying on, that also matters. But more often than not, people are looking at an X-factor. Like, Shahrukh Khan, who can go bang-bang, hit a few sixes, and change the course of the game; Natarajan, who nails six yorkers in a row; Varun Chakaravarthy, who’s a mystery spinner.”
At 38, he finds maintaining his fitness quite challenging. But he would have found it rewarding when he took a spectacular full-dive catch, leaping from short third man to grab B. Sachin’s slice off a wide delivery on the last ball of Kovai’s innings in that season opener!
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