Spin dominance behind Tushar Raheja’s rise

CHENNAI: Five matches in, and Tushar Raheja hasn’t missed a beat. With scores of 80, 74, 65*, 79 and 40 in Tiruppur Tamizhans’ first five games this TNPL season, the southpaw has become the cynosure of all eyes.

This purple patch hasn’t come out of nowhere. Tushar, who joined Tiruppur in 2021, started to see an upward trajectory last season. He finished as the league’s second-highest run-scorer and earned his Tamil Nadu debut soon after. For the 24-year-old from Chennai, that was the season things began to click. Tushar saw it as a breakthrough season. Not just because of the runs, but it also helped him understand his T20 game better.

“After the last season, I think I have really learnt a lot about myself and how my game is in terms of T20. I have learnt how to pace my innings better and understand what is working and what is not. So, ahead of this season, I tried to build on that and worked on the areas where I was lacking last year,” Tushar told TOI.

Tushar went on to spend hours sharpening his game against spin, an area he felt he had to improve.

“I worked on playing spin better. And, generally, I would always do well in the powerplay, but after those six overs were done, I would slow down, and my strike rate would drop. I wanted to see how I can keep that momentum going even after the powerplay. So, I did a lot of drills against spin and worked on my technique with my coach, TV Ram Kumar, in Ambattur. And mentally, I have done a lot of work,” said the opening batter.

While those sessions were focused on fine-tuning his game, there was also a flicker of hope that it might open bigger doors. He had his eye on the IPL, like any young player would. He attended trials for a few teams, but the call never came.

“I did really well in the trials. So obviously, as a human being, somewhere down there, that expectation is there. But I knew, it being my first breakout year in TNPL, I didn’t want to have too many expectations. When I didn’t get picked (in IPL), I wasn’t heartbroken as such. I tried to take it as a positive. I wanted to make sure last year was just the starting point. I wanted to do much better this year, I had that hunger in me,” said Tushar.

The wicketkeeper-batter took the snub in his stride and used the miss as motivation. And, that positive intent shows in his batting. In his recent sterling knocks, Tushar has batted with flair, stepping out with ease and hitting the ball with a sense of freedom that doesn’t look reckless.

“I’m someone who likes to play very positively, and I like taking the attack to the bowlers. So even in the longest format, it’s not like I curb my instincts too much. I like to express myself there as well. So, I feel that is the way I’ve grown up batting naturally. That is who I am as a person. I feel when my instincts take over, it is best for me, and I think that is my biggest strength.”

Tushar, who plays for Alwarpet CC in the TNCA first-division league, wants to establish himself as a red-ball player as well. “I have not done that well in the TNCA first-division league to get a TN call-up in the longest format. But I really want to prove myself in the red-ball format as well.”