Ambidextrous spinner Maity bowls at India nets

Kolkata, Nov 18 (PTI) In a match simulation designed to help Indian batters counter the threat of off-spinner Simon Harmer and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, an unlikely figure stepped into the spotlight at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

Little-known ambidextrous Bengal spinner Kaushik Maity seamlessly doubled up for both roles during the optional practice session.

The 26-year-old Maity, who has represented Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and also appeared in trials for IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, effortlessly switched styles -- bowling off-breaks to left-handers and left-arm spin to right-handers.

"It was my first time at the India nets although I have bowled in the IPL nets of various franchises during games at Eden Gardens. Today I bowled off-break to Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Devdutt Padikkal. To Dhruv Jurel, I bowled left-arm spin," said Maity, who plays for top first division club Kalighat.

There were no specific instructions from head coach Gautam Gambhir or bowling coach Morne Morkel, he clarified. Maity relied on his natural variations and stock deliveries and loved the rare opportunity to operate against elite-level batters.

"I concentrated on what I wanted to bowl and neither the Indian players nor coaches asked me to bowl in any specific area. It was a learning experience for me bowling to world-class players," said Maity, who has played eight List A and three T20 games for Bengal till date.

For any good young spinner, the prospect of landing an IPL contract looms large, and Maity knows honing his T20 skills is essential. Sessions like Tuesday's, he said, provide valuable insights.

"It was a dream come true to be able to bowl to Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) and also get some doubts cleared," he said.

So what was the one specific piece of advice from Jadeja that stayed with him? "Jaddu bhai, after batting against me, observed that my natural length is around 4m to 5m. He said that I need to push back my length by a metre (6 to 7m) and fire it in quicker, giving batters less time to respond," Maity elaborated. PTI KHS AH AH