Imran Tahir - a Supergiant for Pune
Just a month before the IPL auctions, Mohammad Imran Tahir rose to the helm of the T20 and ODI bowlers’ rankings. Possessing a passionate and sanguine personality, the South African leggie thrived on impulsive bursts of energy. Yet, his habit of leaking runs seemed to be on the minds of the IPL auction connoisseurs.
Tahir was dumped and tagged as 'Unsold' despite having a base price of only Rs 50 lakh. Unsold, a category reserved for the lesser known and aged stalwarts or for players with declining prowess had managed to accommodate a truly marvellous morsel from the cluster of leg-spinners.
A man as passionate as Tahir would surely have been dejected by the omission. "I was obviously sad not to be part of this league [in the auction] but there's nothing I can do about it," Tahir had said to ESPNCricinfo.
Things change quickly in cricket though. A virtually unknown presence can dash into the limelight within four balls like Carlos Brathwaite did in the World T20 in 2016. But Tahir is no Brathwaite. He is a crowd favourite; the ever-pleasing spinner who sprints a distance larger than Shoaib Akhtar's run-up to celebrate a wicket. That's what Tahir is all about. The passion to deliver and excel makes him stand out from his peers.
Rising Pune Supergiant made a small but decisive change in the build up to their campaign when they picked the South African as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Marsh. They knew they had Stokes to fill the role of a seam bowling all-rounder, hence what they needed was a specialist spinner.
Also read: IPL 2017: Top 5 leg-spinners resurrecting the magical art
Who better than an ignored, dejected and out-for-revenge World No. 1?
In came Tahir, and Steven Smith, who had played the South African leggie a lot in the past few months, ushered him into the starting XI.
The kick start
It took Tahir no more than 11 deliveries to make all the franchise owners hang their heads in shame. Tahir ripped apart Mumbai Indians by snapping up Parthiv Patel, Rohit Sharma and Jos Buttler in his first two overs. Mumbai, cruising at 41/0 at one stage, were dealt a severe blow.
"I always love challenges, and when I bowl I always look to get wickets," Tahir revealed to ESPNCricinfo after the match. At a time when wrist spinners are enjoying success like never before, Tahir's omission in the auctions was a glaring blunder.
It's embarrassing to see that not one of the franchise experts bothered to dig up stats of Tahir's performances in the shortest formats of the game in the build-up to the IPL. In the one year prior to the start of the auctions, Tahir was the second highest wicket-taker in the format behind the Afghanistan teen sensation, Rashid Khan.
The South African’s 27 wickets during the period came from just 13 games at a dazzling average of 11.62. Is also has to be noted that his economy, often criticised, stood at 6.30, underlining his importance to South Africa during the period. That Tahir had devoured the Kiwis with a spectacular performance of 5/24 in Auckland a month before had gone unnoticed.
Smith's go-to man
Tahir's IPL 2017 had gotten off to the perfect start and he was in no mood to squander that. His economy wavered between 6 and 7 in most games and he was instrumental in the middle overs for Smith who turned to the South African everytime he needed a wicket.
Tahir finished the season as Rising Pune Supergiant's second highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps in spite of playing just 12 games. He picked up three-wicket hauls thrice in the tournament – once each against Mumbai, Bangalore and Gujarat. More importantly, he picked up these wickets whilst starving the batsmen for runs.
Passion personified
His words to ESPNCricinfo during the league stages convey the kind of cricketer he is. "I always come on the ground with a smile on my face but inside I'm always ready to fight and try to give as much as I can. I love doing what I'm doing," Tahir had said.
How many cricketers do we come across with such a personality in the era of big money and glamour? Very few.
But Tahir is one of them and will always remain an unheralded warrior. But cometh a fight and this man would be in the front row as the knight in shining armour.