New Team Chennai recruit Krishnappa Gowtham, who became the most expensive Indian player in the Indian T20 League mini-auction, believes a player cannot do well in the competition bearing the burden of his price tag.
“You can't go out there with a price tag on your mind. You can't really give it all when you are constantly thinking about the price tag,” Gowtham told IANS.
“I don't think you can ever perform or be the way you want to be with a price tag [on your mind]. You have to go out there and play the way you have to. That is how I am going to think and approach the game,” he added.
The spinning all-rounder was picked for a whopping Rs. 9.2 crores on Thursday’s auction in Chennai, after a quiet tournament with Punjab last season, where he played just two matches. But, the 32-year-old player believes his demand stemmed from his domestic experience.
Gowtham has 166 wickets to his name in 42 first-class matches, where he has scored at a strike of close to 80 even in multi-days format.
"It doesn't put any pressure on me. I have played so many domestic matches. It is all about the experience, about the domestic experience. It is about how you turn it into energy,” Gowtham added.
The all-rounder had made his Ranji Trophy debut for Karnataka back in 2012, but inconsistent performance meant he was out of the team from 2014 to 2016. Gowtham had to fine-tune his mental aspect to get his place back before breaking out in the Indian T20 League in 2018.
Playing for Rajasthan in 2018, Gowtham had slogged two sixes against Chennai in a league match, while batting alongside Jos Butler, to win the match for his team who needed 28 runs in 12 balls. His performance that evening might have reaped rewards three years later.
Players Bought by Chennai at auction: Moeen Ali (Rs 7 crore), K Gowtham (Rs 9.25 crores), Cheteshwar Pujara (Rs 50 lakhs). Harisaankar Reddy (Rs 20 lakhs), K Bhagath Verma (Rs 20 lakhs), C. Hari Neeshanth (20 lakhs).
Full Chennai Squad: MS Dhoni, Imran Tahir, Lungi Ngidi, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan, Mitchell Santner, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, R Sai Kishore, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Curran, Karn Sharma, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara. Harisaankar Reddy, K Bhagath Verma, C. Hari Neeshanth.
Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Money Sharma
