Sakib Hussain admits he still feels a touch awkward talking about the six pairs of cricket shoes he keeps for match days. The reason, he says, is simple: he never imagined he would reach a stage where such expensive footwear would be routine.<\/p>\n
His Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mate and fellow wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who hails from Bihar, was the one who sorted him out this season. Kishan, impressed by what Sakib was missing earlier in his journey, got him half a dozen Adidas Adipowers to wear in games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a time I did not have any shoes,\u201d Sakib says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t even think about owning a pair that costly. How could I wear shoes that cost Rs 12,000 to 15,000?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sakib, who took cricket seriously only in his late teens, spent his earlier years on the tennis-ball circuit around his hometown, Gopalganj. He was lean and long-limbed, but athletic enough to make every throw and delivery count. Back then, he even considered joining the Indian Army, and he and his older brother Akib used to wake up before dawn to run and train at a nearby ground.<\/p>\n
On the money side, the matches were humble but motivating. \u201cWe would get about Rs 300 per match,\u201d Sakib recalls. \u201cAnd if we travelled 500km or more, we would get Rs 1,000 to 1,200.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything shifted when Sakib was around 16. His father, Ali Ahmed, a farmer, developed knee problems that limited his ability to do physical work. That meant Sakib and Akib had to help on the farm, while still keeping tennis-ball cricket alive whenever they could.<\/p>\n
Footwear became an issue again during that period. \u201cThe shoes we bought off the roadside for Rs 200 to 300 would wear out quickly,\u201d Sakib says. \u201cThe sole would tear. Without proper spikes, my foot kept slipping and my ankles would get sprained again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n
One day, he decided to be direct with his mother. \u201cMummy, joota chahiye<\/i>,\u201d he told her. \u201cBina joote ke<\/i>, bowling nahin ho payega hum se.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
She reassured him and then did something practical. She sold jewellery that her parents had given her when she was married, and used the money to help Sakib buy better shoes. \u201cThat is how my journey started,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Sakib insists he never had big fantasies about playing at the top level. Yet his confidence was challenged in a different way when people around him began to mock his chances. \u201cTumhari tarah lakhon player hain, tum kuch bhi kar lo tum nahin kehl paayega.<\/i>\u201d he recalls. \u201cHundreds of thousands like you exist. Whatever you do, you won\u2019t be able to play high-level cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n
He chose to answer doubt with work rather than words. \u201cI did not respond to anyone with arguments,\u201d Sakib says. \u201cI just told myself I will do it through my efforts. That is what I kept repeating to myself\u2014I will do it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
A turning point came when local cricket officials spotted his talent and backed him. His coach, Robin Singh, a former Bihar player, also provided steady support. With the assurance that his needs would be looked after, Sakib was able to focus more freely on training and development.<\/p>\n
His rise into the IPL followed strong performances in the Bihar Cricket League and age-group events. Kolkata Knight Riders selected him for the 2024 IPL, but he did not get to play and was later released. Sunrisers Hyderabad then bought him at the last auction as part of their plan to invest in uncapped young fast bowlers. Sakib and Vidarbha quick Praful Hinge were among the players handed the chance to grow and gain exposure.<\/p>\n
****<\/p>\n
Sakib later looked back at his early connection with Varun Aaron, Sunrisers\u2019 bowling coach, describing their first proper conversation earlier this year at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana in Mumbai, during a one-on-one session.<\/p>\n
Like most young fast bowlers, he wanted to make an impact immediately, letting the ball fly from a hard length. Even now, he says he can\u2019t believe how far his bowling has travelled since that day. \u201cI was just spraying the ball in four different directions,\u201d he says, almost laughing at the memory.<\/p>\n
He felt uncomfortable about it, but Aaron\u2014whom Sakib describes not only as a coach but also like an older brother\u2014told him not to worry. \u201cHe said I shouldn\u2019t be bothered and that it would be fine,\u201d Sakib explains. Aaron pointed out that Sakib needed work on his biomechanics and his run-up, but he didn\u2019t rush into changing everything immediately. Instead, he wanted Sakib to repeat the right length and sharpen the top-of-off-stump channel, a area that even seasoned batters can struggle with at times.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me to focus on exactly what he was saying,\u201d Sakib says. \u201cI trusted him and he trusted me. And when I compare that first day to where I am today, I will always remember it. He tells me, Woh pehla din yaad rakhna.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
Just before his IPL debut in April against Rajasthan Royals, Aaron walked up to Sakib, put an arm around him, and told him to go out and play freely. \u201cHe said, \u2018Look, do what you have been doing\u2014don\u2019t try anything extra. Don\u2019t take any tension. If good things happen, it is okay, and even if bad things happen, it is okay,\u2019\u201d Sakib says. \u201cThat gave me a lot of confidence. It felt like someone was there to look after me, and that has helped me move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sakib stuck to the plan and delivered. In that match, he picked up four wickets, with Praful Hinge also contributing in the same game, as Sunrisers beat RR comfortably. One of Sakib\u2019s most impressive scalps came when he removed South Africa batter Donovan Ferreira. Ferreira misread the bowler\u2019s hand and didn\u2019t execute his plan properly, getting bowled by a cutter. The ability to alter pace and still keep the ball in the right areas has been one of Sakib\u2019s biggest strengths. He has shown that from a delivery clocking around 140kph, then dropping to roughly 105kph on the very next ball.<\/p>\n
In his second outing, Sakib came up against Chennai Super Kings batter Shivam Dube and got the better of him again, repeating the impact in the return match. Five days after his four-wicket haul, in Hyderabad, he was bowling the 17th over when CSK were chasing 195. Dube had exposed the stumps to the off side, and Sakib struck with a reverse-swinging yorker that crashed into the wickets. It was the only wicket he took in that spell, finishing with 32 runs from four overs, but it proved crucial because Dube\u2019s form had been holding CSK\u2019s chase together. Even though he conceded 13 in his opening over during the powerplay, he tightened up afterwards, giving away only 19 across the remaining three.<\/p>\n
A month later, in Chennai, Sakib tested Dube once more. Bowling the penultimate over of the first innings, he used cutters and sharp lines to force Dube into uncomfortable choices before dismissing him with a delivery that pitched on leg, stayed low, and beat the bat\u2019s swing to hit the middle stump.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt he was finding it a bit difficult to understand my variations clearly,\u201d Sakib says. \u201cHe seemed irritated with my deliveries. Probably he thought since I was bowling fast, I might bowl a bouncer\u2014but in Hyderabad I bowled the yorker, and I got him bowled.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the league stage of the tournament, Sakib sent down 228 balls. Nearly half of them\u2014104\u2014were slower deliveries. He also learned that variation only after he had returned home following the end of the 2024 IPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2024, I used to bowl a halka-phulka<\/i> [half-baked] slower ball,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen I went home, I had a chat with my friend from tennis cricket days, Sachin Kumar.\u201d Kumar, another major influence from Sakib\u2019s early days, has long been a sounding board for him while honing his bowling. \u201cHe told me we need you to develop the slower ball. He suggested I learn it like the one DJ Bravo used to bowl\u2014the dipping slower ones. Sachin taught me that ball, and we worked on it for 10 to 12 days. After that, I continued to develop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sakib began practising the slower delivery with a tennis ball before transitioning to the cricket ball. Once he felt the grip and the release consistently, he gained the confidence to try it in matches. For a new delivery, the impact depends heavily on accuracy\u2014landing it where the bowler wants it. On that point, Sakib credits Aaron. \u201cMy friend [Kumar] taught me,\u201d he says, \u201cbut the length to bowl and when\u2014those details\u2014were taught by Varun bhaiyya<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about his favourite wicket taken in this IPL using the slower ball, Sakib smiles and offers one name. \u201c[Virat] Kohli bhaiyya ka<\/i>.\u201d The wicket came in Sunrisers\u2019 final league match against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru last weekend in Hyderabad, on a slow pitch.<\/p>\n
Sitting alongside Aaron, Sakib had watched RCB\u2019s bowlers during the first innings as Sunrisers piled up 255. He says that helped him understand the surface and the ball\u2019s behaviour. \u201cWe saw the ball was gripping. I noticed it when Rasikh Salam bowled in the powerplay,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWe planned it together with Varun bhaiyya<\/i> and our video analyst.\u201d When his turn came to bowl in the sixth over, Sakib used the slower ball for all six deliveries, getting Kohli on the fifth and preventing the batters from finding pace to work with.<\/p>\n
Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins played an important role in that strategy too. \u201cHe reads things well on the ground, compared to me,\u201d Sakib says. \u201cHe plans what to bowl on which wicket. He had already bowled two overs in the powerplay, and he asked me to go slow fully. So I just did what he said. But the Kohli wicket is one I will always remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not every lesson has been smooth, though. In the second match against Royals in Jaipur in late April, Sakib endured his most expensive spell of the season so far\u20141 wicket for 62 runs in four overs.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou learn from experiences,\u201d he says. Aaron\u2019s message after that outing was also telling. \u201cVarun bhaiyya<\/i> said, Tum ko kuch boley hum? Toh hum boley, nahi bhaiyya. Woh boley, hum bolenge toh kuch farak padega. Aaram se bindaas raho.<\/i>\u201d Sakib explains what it meant: Aaron told him that if anyone spoke about the expensive spell, it would start to matter, so he should stay calm and keep playing without pressure.<\/p>\n
That Royals game also marked the first time Cummins led Sunrisers in the season. He had missed the opening seven matches while waiting for fitness clearance from Cricket Australia due to a lower-back injury. Cummins, known for being a clear communicator and widely recognised among the best captains in the sport, asked Sakib to be open, not shy. Sakib jokes that his English is \u201cbroken,\u201d but insists he can communicate clearly with Cummins, the other overseas players, and the coaching staff. Cummins, for his part, has described Sakib and Sri Lankan fast bowler Eshan Malinga\u2014both key to Sunrisers reaching the playoffs\u2014as a \u201ccaptain\u2019s dream\u201d.<\/p>\n
****<\/p>\n
Sakib also has a routine that keeps him grounded. He says there is a video clip he watches every night before switching off. It features an interview recorded by a local news channel in Bihar with his parents after he was picked by KKR in the 2024 IPL auction. In it, his father sits on a wooden cot and breaks into happy tears. His mother, Subuktara Khatoon, speaks about how proud she is that Sakib\u2019s hard work from a young age has finally paid off. \u201cWoh cheez hum ko yaad dila ta hain ki tum kahan se aaye ho.<\/i>\u201d she says, reminding them where he came from.<\/p>\n
Gopalganj is the hometown of two former chief ministers of Bihar\u2014Abdul Ghafoor and Lalu Prasad Yadav\u2014and also of Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi. Even India and Bengal fast bowler Mukesh Kumar is from there. Sakib gives his shy grin again when he realises his own name will now be added to the list of people from Gopalganj who have made it big.<\/p>\n
For the moment, he has no complicated material goals beyond keeping his parents safe and happy. \u201cWhatever I will earn is for my parents, who struggled for me,\u201d he says. \u201cPersonally, I just have to play cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds that when he arrived in the IPL, he wanted something more than money or attention. \u201cThe one thing I wanted when I came to IPL was to have the self-respect. That is an important thing. Secondly, I want to help the team win the IPL.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sakib Hussain admits he still feels a touch awkward talking about the six pairs of cricket shoes he keeps for match days. The reason, he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Sakib Hussain IPL Rise: Ishan Kishan Matchday Setup","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Sakib Hussain credits Ishan Kishan\u2019s matchday help for his IPL rise, revealing the \u201csix pairs of shoes\u201d routine that boosted his confidence.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n