"Haven't paid too much attention to it" - Kyle Jamieson on potential IPL call-up
There is plenty of excitement around New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson as the IPL 2021 auction is all set to be held in Chennai on Thursday.
Kyle Jamieson has put up his name in the auction for a base price of Rs 75 lakh. The 6'8" tall New Zealander made his T20I debut against West Indies in November 2020. But it is in Test cricket that he has made a massive impact.
The 26-year-old has picked up 36 wickets in six Tests, averaging 13.27. With the bat, he has contributed 226 runs.
A day ahead of the IPL auction, Kyle Jamieson played down the hype around his name. He was quoted as saying in an ESPNCricinfo report:
"To be fair, I haven't paid too much attention to it and for me I've been focused on what I can control here and I think things will pan out the way they are going to tomorrow night - whether that means I get picked up and go great and if not there's still a lot of cricket to be played across the winter. I try not to pay too much attention. Things like that tend to take care of themselves."
Lot to learn by playing in different environments: Kyle Jamieson
Kyle Jamieson is yet to get a taste of Indian conditions. The New Zealand all-rounder admitted that he would be keen to add to his skills if he gets a chance to play in the IPL. He added:
"That experience, if it comes, I'm not sure what's going to happen, but it's certainly a different experience and a lot of new learnings to come from. The probably most exciting thing is that when you get to play in these different environments, there's a lot of learning and ways to upskill and try to add strings to your bow.”
According to former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir, Kyle Jamieson has the potential to become the next Andre Russell. Speaking on Star Sports, Gambhir claimed:
“Kyle Jamieson is not a big name at the moment, but he will turn out to be a superstar. This is probably the right auction for all franchises to get a hold of him. And because he is someone whom you can keep for a longer period of time. He is seven feet, he is that tall. He can bowl 140 and can hit the ball long. He probably could be the next Andre Russell in the making.”
Kyle Jamieson is currently preparing with the New Zealand squad for the five-match T20I series against Australia at home, which begins on February 22.