Even for captain Rohit Sharma he was an unknown commodity until Markande made it to the nets and impressed everyone. If his first game against Chennai Super Kings wherein he picked up the big fish MS Dhoni with an unreadable wrong’un, got Rohit gleam in surprise, an extended spell on Thursday night against Sunrisers Hyderabad only reinstated the growing faith the captain had in his youngster. “I share a great rapport with our captain,” Markande says of Rohit Sharma. “He likes to keep things simple and keeps telling me to bowl the way I would bowl for my state. He doesn’t ask me to tinker with things too much. It works well for me and I enjoy bowling under his captaincy.”
Markande didn’t disappoint. He picked up four wickets – four genuinely good deliveries, majority being off the wrong’un that fizzed and looked unreadable. He had got Mumbai Indians back in the game, with a sniff, with a chance of registering their first win in the competition. That was not to be though. Sunrisers Hyderabad might have clinched a last ball thriller, but it was Markande who was making all the right waves across commentary boxes, former cricketers and social media platforms. So much so that Harbhajan Singh went on to tweet in Markande’s praise – a compliment that brought a smile to the 20-year old’s face who had the opportunity to share bowling space in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
And, what a decision that has proven to be. From watching all the action on TV to being a part of it, Markande knows he still has a long way to go. He is right now the top wicket-taker of the tournament and proudly wears the purple cap on his head. But, he knows this is just the beginning.