‘‘The day I lose my passion, I’ll stop playing cricket,’’ Virat Kohli declared on his final day as India’s T20I captain. Displays of his commitment to the sport run the gamut from literally measured eating, adhering to gym routines even when he couldn’t buy a run during the coronavirus pandemic, and owning the fielding hotspots at the age of 37. While his cover drives are a sight to behold, Kohli’s immersive involvement in the game has been a huge draw for fans, whom he can summon into cheerleading with a hand gesture from the slips.
Cricket has witnessed many a great performer, but few exercise this kind of a magnetic pull, for this connection goes beyond mere exhibition of skill. It is veneration on the grounds of an insatiable drive to win, to produce results in the face of adversity, and to conquer the goddamn world.
Shivang Kumar is cut from the same cloth. Having played all but two matches in his debut IPL season to arrange a podium finish for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the all-rounder is back to where his journey began. In just his second match of Madhya Pradesh League 2025, he scored 91 runs off 42 balls while opening the innings for Bhopal Leopards. A fifer against Karnataka in Vijay Hazare Trophy followed, along with a half-century versus Jharkhand batting lower down the order that convinced SRH to raise the paddle despite Shivang missing the trials twice due to a typhoon and an Indigo airline strike respectively.
“I developed a professional mindset during my time in the IPL, learning from the likes of Pat Cummins and Ishan Kishan,’’ said Shivang, the son of a senior ticket collector with Indian Railways who once aspired to become a cricketer himself.
Hailing from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Shivang was enrolled at Tansen Cricket Academy in Gwalior by his supportive father. He later shifted base to Rewa, where the foundations of the complete package we see now – dashing batter, left-arm wristspinner, gun fielder – were laid. MPL is obviously a stepping stone to IPL, but its subordinate status doesn’t make an iota of difference to how Shivang turns up to play his cricket. He caught Ankush Singh at mid-off and let out a roar, for the Chambal Ghariyals left-hander is a menace boasting of a 32-ball ton. On the previous delivery, the ambidextrous Harshit Parsai was scythed over square leg.
The celebrations weren’t really subdued either as Rohit Kumar Gupta was caught plumb in front by Shivang, who expressed his displeasure with extra cover’s effort after a full toss hit straight to him wasn’t attacked adequately to prevent a run. On the flipside, when Gautam Joshi covered good ground and put his body on the line to minimize the damage, Shivang was effusive in his praise for the sweeper. Bundelkhand Bulls took six catches under lights, an ask that has left several teams in a tizzy primarily because of the maiden exposure to night cricket for a young group of boys.
“It is difficult to judge the swirling ball, and the cool weather can alter the speed at which it travels, something I personally experienced,’’ felt Shivang, referring to the drizzle this week. “With regular practise though, we’ve acclimatized to the conditions as a fielding unit.’’
Their problems this season haven’t been confined to catching. Death bowling is an area of massive concern for Bundelkhand Bulls; their backend operation exposed by Aniket Verma and Ashutosh Sharma. Even an Indian international like Kuldeep Sen has failed to execute in the slog overs for a franchise that leaked 249/4 against Gwalior Cheetahs. Opposite the high-flying Chambal Ghariyals as well, the final phase didn’t exactly go their way, but there seemed to be a plan in place. Having copped their fair share of leather hunts, Bundelkhand Bulls were determined not to submit themselves to the mercy of the willow-wielders.
Facing Tripuresh Singh and a well-set Shubham Sharma, left-arm pacer Anant Dubey was given an off-side heavy field. He nailed the tramline yorkers and managed to dismiss their captain, marking a strong comeback after conceding a couple of sixes. For Bundelkhand Bulls, it was a recurring theme throughout as wickets tailgated an impactful shot or two.
Shivang was always within an earshot of the bowlers, passing on the wisdom he’s acquired over the last few months working alongside Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori, Varun Aaron and the insightful Cummis, of course. “T20 cricket is batter-dominant. They exert an ultra-aggressive approach, so thinking that you won’t give away any boundaries is unrealistic. They’re looking to score 100 runs in the PowerPlay itself. Hence, an attacking mindset is necessary on the bowler’s part. Never get intimidated by personalities and focus on picking up wickets even if you’re not economical at all times,’’ Shivang reflects.
In the dying embers of the first half, Chambal Ghariyals fetched a streaky four. Toe-edged, the ball went between the wicketkeeper and short third man. Shivang gave a thumbs-up to his junior from long-on, validating the fact that it was luck rather than tactical awareness which eluded him on that occasion. However, it wouldn’t be the case in the chase shortly thereafter, with Parth Goswami and Harsh Gawali losing their strokeplaying prowess in the middle. Their partnership worth 134 transpired off 94 balls, with the lusty blows appearing inanely late for Bundelkhand Bulls in the pursuit of 219 against an attack featuring Avesh Khan and Purple Cap holder Tripuresh.
Quizzed about whether the mental calculations can be deemed imperfect, considering one of those partners was fresh off an unbeaten century and their pursuit was the eventual act of a double-header, Shivang emphasized realism, once again. “I believe our batters tried to the best of their ability. Sometimes fluency deserts you. It’s part and parcel of the game.’’
“T20 cricket is highly competitive in nature and players are judged on the basis of the outcome, but enjoying the process is equally important,’’ Shivang opines. He sure did while condemning Malwa Stallions to a 13-ball fifty in the latter of Bundelkhand Bulls’ two victories. “As an all-rounder my aim is to provide holistic contributions and win as many matches for my team as possible,’’ he adds. Safe to say, that zeal permeates every fiber of his being.
