IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians is off to a hyper start to the season. However, one of the side's essential aspects is its young wrist spinners, who left a mark in the opening game, while Brad Hogg has revealed how he has been mentoring them.
Record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians' (MI's) squad this year, too, has been one bolstering with young talent. With its intended steps to promote newborn talent, MI has examined and delivered a platform to forthcoming players to accumulate technical understandings from some of the greatest names in world cricket.
Among the youngsters aiming to make a mark for the side this term are Kumar Kartikeya and Raghav Goyal. Kartikeya and Goyal are left-arm wrist spinners, a rare breed of spinners in world cricket. Kartikeya had an exceptional debut season for MI last year, while Goyal has joined the side for the first time this season.
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Both are being prepared at MI by the two-time ICC World Cup winner Brad Hogg, one of the best left-arm wrist spinners ever. "Yeah, I'm just over here helping a couple of spinners. There are a couple of wrist spinners in here. I keep talking to the boys about plans and methods in the middle and how we can try and improve as the year goes on," Hogg expressed.
Kartikeya is rated one of the most compatible bowlers domestically. Capable of bowling left-arm orthodox spin, Kartikeya was a vital part of the Madhya Pradesh team, which emerged triumphant in the Ranji Trophy title last year. Hogg is uninhibited as he applauds Kartikeya. "One thing that impresses me is his work ethic. It's just fantastic. He wants to evolve and keep learning," he said.
Unlike Kartikeya, Goyal has yet to play a professional senior-level match, having not debuted in any of the three formats. Hogg voices that he has been working on getting him ready for a prominent event like the Indian Premier League (IPL). "Raghav is a very interesting one. He has never been exposed to this type of cricket before. He's learning what it takes to be a First-Class cricketer," he added.
The young spinners happen to be equally eager to be working with Hogg. "He is one of the best left-arm wrist spinners I have seen in my life," Kartikeya speaks. Hogg's coaching doctrine concerns putting the youngsters at mitigation and enabling them to open up, which Kartikeya accepts. "He is fun-loving. So, I love to be coached by him."
Just 22, Goyal articulates he has been a lifelong fan of Hogg. "He is one of my favourite bowlers. I have admired him since childhood," he enunciated. Hogg has already made an impact in his brief time with the spin-twins. "He is a very positive person. He tells me about how he fought in every situation. He tells me how to stay positive every time, buck up and push myself. So, I have learnt a lot from him," Goyal concluded.
