“Even if I die on the ground, I'm going to enjoy this day to the fullest” - Sandeep Warrier opens up on emotional debut
International debuts aren't a piece of cake. There's a whirlpool of feelings involved - a rush of blood, some confused giddiness, and a lot of pride. The pressure of a "first impression" - an aspect most prominent in Indian cricket because of its in-built competition - makes it twice as difficult for any athlete.
Even IPL prodigies and Under-19 stars, with exposure to massive fan followings and stadium crowds, find it difficult to manage the weight of their maiden Indian caps. How often do we hear a youngster say, "I was not worried about anything" or that he will enjoy the day to the hilt even if he "dies on the ground"?
These can never be the words of a precocious superstar. But only of someone who has reached the stage the hard way; who has gone through years of travails and introspection in domestic tournaments, and who values few things over India’s blue.
Sandeep Warrier is one such player. He became the 92nd Indian T20I cricketer on Friday. Achieving the feat at the age of 30, he's the second oldest Indian debutant after Rahul Dravid in the format. And although the final selection was facilitated by a bit of luck, there's hardly anyone who deserves it more.
From over 150 matches across all three domestic formats, Warrier has accrued a whopping 305 wickets. His numbers in the Ranji Trophy are at par with all the other genuine swing bowlers to have ever played for India. In the shortest format, he has consistently delivered an economy rate of 7.29, a brilliant stat for someone who bowls both in the powerplay and death.
All credit goes to his controlled outswing and a nasty perfume ball - a rare combination which Kyle Jamieson used to single-handedly tumble India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Warrier's action, honed under the guidance of Glenn McGrath, is smoother than most and has ensured the longevity that has got him this far even after almost a decade of domestic cricket.
It was no surprise, thus, that when Paras Mhambrey, the bowling coach for the tour, bestowed him with the cap, Warrier broke down in tears in an instant. It was the overwhelming culmination of every hard-earned wicket, catch, every injury and comeback for the Kerala-born and he didn't choose to hide any of it.
In this exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the first after his debut, Warrier opened up about that moment, what the debut meant to him and his family, the inspiration he gets from Zaheer Khan and Wasim Akram, the 'Bomb Squad' connection and much more.
Excerpts from Sandeep Warrier's interview with Sportskeeda
First of all, many congratulations on your debut. How do you feel right now?
Sandeep Warrier: Obviously, extremely happy. I have been working for this for the past 20 years and to make a debut for my country was a dream so I'm just really happy for that. I’m also extremely grateful to all the people that helped me get here – TNCA, India Cements, KCA and the MRF Pace Foundation.
This has been quite a journey for you. Over nine years of first-class cricket, then pushing 30 only to see the pandemic halt the domestic season. There must have been some moments of self-doubt there. How did you keep yourself going?
Sandeep Warrier: Even from my Under-17 days when I started to get selected for zonals or state competitions, it was never easy for me. I always had these ups and downs with my performance. After playing five years of first-class cricket, I was performing but it was always in that 25-30 wickets zone. The seventh year was the one where I got that 45-wicket mark. My team reached the semi-finals and that was the breakthrough year for me. Even in first-class cricket I had to wait seven years for that to happen.
I feel my work ethic remained the same, I never worried about what was going on in the outside world. I focussed on my cricket, my performance, how I can improve as a cricketer, work on my fitness, and be ready for whatever comes for me. That was my main focus. That was the only thing that kept me going.
My wife Aarathy is also an athlete so that also helps; she also motivated me to train. Through the pandemic and the lockdowns, that’s the only thing that kept me going. I have been the same for the past 15 years and I don’t worry much about domestic cricket not happening and those things.
When did you get to know about your debut? And what were the conversations like with the captain, coach and the bowling coach ahead of the game?
Sandeep Warrier: Just before the toss. I was told to just be ready and then just before the toss Rahul sir came in, wished me luck, told me to just enjoy the game and play like I have been for the past 15 years with Kerala, Tamil Nadu or any club. He asked me to approach the game the same way, give it my all and enjoy it.
You got pretty emotional when Paras Mhambrey presented the India cap. Can you describe those moments for us?
Sandeep Warrier: I can’t describe that in words. Even before that, when Rahul sir told me about it, I was completely blank for five minutes. He told all the guys that I was going to make my debut and I didn’t hear anything he said for the next three to four minutes .
The next thing I remember is Sai Kishore coming and congratulating me! And then, even during the cap presentation, I guess it was some of the words Rahul sir said, like how I had to wait for nine years for this cap, that made me emotional. It is the best moment of my life, that’s all I can say. Thanks to everyone who supported me to get here.
What was your family’s reaction when they heard the news?
Sandeep Warrier: It was the same. My mom couldn’t stop crying, my dad was also emotional, my wife also got emotional. I guess it was because they have all seen me for the past 15 years, how I started in Mumbai, how I came to Kerala, how I started playing for the district. They have been with me through thick and thin.
My wife was like a part of me for the four years when I didn’t get picked by an IPL team, again for the next three years when I was picked but not getting matches and then during the pandemic. They had also seen the whole journey so it was pretty emotional for everyone. Not only my parents and my wife but it was emotional for my whole family.
The team went through an unfortunate spate of events before your debut, with Krunal Pandya testing positive and the isolations. How did it all unfold?
Sandeep Warrier: First of all, I wish them a very speedy recovery and good health. I went through the same thing two months back, inside the bubble, the whole team had left and I had to be there for the next 10 days, it’s pretty difficult and to come back after that it’s even more difficult. It was all very unfortunate but well handled by the management, the doctors and the physios. Krunal, Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal) and Gowtham were all taken care of very well and all the close contacts were kept in close monitoring too.
There was no lapse and everyone and everything was taken care of completely. Everything was very professional, and we are lucky to have all these people around us. Even now, there are a couple of physios staying back with them until they test negative.
And yes, the team was definitely affected by that. Everyone was sad that the unfortunate incidents happened. But yeah, everyone was also determined to play the match and win it for India. The team’s spirits never dropped, but at the same time we all were pretty sad for everyone who got affected by it.
It wasn’t the best of situations to bowl your first ball in either. The team was short on players, you were defending a small target. How difficult was it for you as a debutant to go out there and what was going through your mind?
Sandeep Warrier: To be honest, I was not even thinking of the target. This was the day I waited for 20 years. I just thought that even if I die on the ground, I am going to enjoy this day to the fullest. Of course, if the result was in our favor, I would have been over the moon. But I knew I was never going to get this day again so my preference was to enjoy the next forty overs or the three-and-a-half hours whatever happens!
Even when they were coming close to the target, I was not worried about anything. Not only my bowling, I wanted to enjoy every moment on the field that day and I was just focussing on that.
We saw that you bowled a brilliant first over but the next two went for a few runs, especially against shorter deliveries. Was it part of your plan to force the batsmen into mistakes against the bouncers?
Sandeep Warrier: One side of the boundary was longer than the other. You see the first over when I bowled bouncers, it was against the left-handers because that side of the boundary was longer. If we had to win the match we obviously had to pick up wickets. Either I could have bowled normally and tried to contain runs or aggressively and tried and got them to make a mistake.
I knew that if I produce a breakthrough, Varun, Rahul, Kuldeep, anyone can change the game. When I came in the third over from the other end, a right-hander was on strike and my plan was the same: attack him, if he’s successful in returning the attack, it’s his day but if I get his wicket, it will help the team. There wasn’t much swing in that wicket, so I had to be aggressive in a different way which I tried by bowling bouncers, slower ones and different variations.
What was the team environment like after the loss?
Sandeep Warrier: Basically, if you look from the ODIs to the T20s, we won the first series on a pretty difficult wicket. Even in the match we lost, we were fighting till the very end. Same thing again with the T20 series; the first match we won pretty comfortably. And after that we, as a group, did fight and put up our 100% and maybe even more than that.
That is one of the things Rahul sir was proud of. Obviously we wanted to win the series, we wanted to win all the matches, but it’s a game of cricket. It was a learning process for many of us. He was also in high spirits and he was happy that we got a chance to play in this situation that we are all going through with COVID-19 and quarantine. Everyone was just excited that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could conduct this and from nowhere we were able to just play cricket. That was the main motivation and we were really happy about it.
The bonding between you and the rest of the reserved players - or the "Bomb Squad" - was quite evident. Can you tell us the story behind that name and how was your time with the four guys?
Sandeep Warrier: I enjoyed my time with them. I mean, I can’t explain it in words but I enjoyed it a lot. Because for 45 days since we were out of quarantine, our training in the gym, in the ground, or even while watching the match, all five of us were together. I guess, spending that much time with each other made our bond like that.
Bomb Squad was the name given to us by Arshdeep. He meant to say that whatever happens to anyone in this squad, for the next 45 days, we still have to do our job as net bowlers. We still have to bowl, field, and support the 20 players in the squad. So, a bomb squad is like that, right? However big the bomb is, whatever happens to them, they have to defuse it.
That’s how he came up with the name. We were pretty close and we are pretty close. Yesterday we went into quarantine, me and Sai, and this afternoon we all have called each other at least once. It was pretty good.
How has the shift to Tamil Nadu from Kerala been for you as a cricketer and as a person? And did it help you with your international debut?
Sandeep Warrier: I don’t know whether it has helped me with my debut. It may or may not have. But shifting to Tamil Nadu was also not that difficult for me because I have been playing in Tamil Nadu leagues for the past nine years now, I have been a part of many teams. I have been playing with everyone in these teams for the past nine years, so I knew and was close to everyone.
As a cricketer, it was not that difficult. Obviously, it was emotional leaving the Kerala teammates because they were very close to me, I spent a lot of time with them also so there were many close friends. But it was something I had to do and I felt more comfortable playing here. It wasn’t easy mentally, especially at first, but it was something I had to do.
Throughout your career, you have been likened to Dale Steyn for your swing and Morne Morkel for the bounce you can generate. But who is your inspiration?
Sandeep Warrier: I was always a great fan of Wasim Akram and liked him a lot. And Zaheer (Khan) bhai. I am a huge fan of these guys because I have seen a lot of their matches and the control and skill they have. And since I am in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Abhishek Nayar played with Zaheer bhai a lot, in domestic cricket too. He keeps telling me how he won matches for Mumbai from difficult situations, the skill with which he used to come back with to perform.
Hearing that itself increases the respect for him. Already being a big fan of him and then hearing stories of him… like the one where Zaheer bhai told how for the 2011 World Cup he had started practicing the knuckleball in 2009 but never bowled it in a match till the World Cup. He practiced for two years for the World Cup. These are the kind of things I look up to and as I said, I am a huge fan of these guys. Both are left-handed fast bowlers, though (chuckles).
Now that you have made a huge step forward in your career, how do you see the upcoming IPL season, considering that KKR are in a spot of worry?
Sandeep Warrier: To be honest, I have always been ready to play but our team have pretty good Indian fast bowlers - Prasidh (Krishna), (Kamlesh) Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Vaibhav Arora. We did have a pretty good unit but results haven’t gone our way so far and I hope we can turn it around.
I’ll be the same, I’ll be ready to play whenever the team demands and I’ll be ready to do whatever they need. I've been like that since I started cricket and I’ll be the same for sure. It won’t be like that now I have played for India, I’ll expect more or think like that. For me it’s going to be the same routine, process and preparation again.
Finally, you were also named as a reserve pacer for the home Test series against England, which also suggests that you are in the scheme of things for Test cricket as well. So, like many other cricketers, does that remain your ultimate goal too?
Sandeep Warrier: Playing for India in all formats is the ultimate goal. Red-ball cricket is something that I take prestige in because I have been playing it for the past nine years. I would love to represent my country in all formats in whatever way and help them win. Playing for India has always been a dream and anything that comes along in that direction, I am happy.
Note: Sandeep Warrier is exclusively represented by FairPlay Sports, a sports marketing agency with offices in Delhi, Bangalore and Pune.