Left-arm spinner Sachin Rathi has benefited from a changed run-up

Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner Sachin Rathi, the top wicket-taker (55 wickets) in the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy this season, said Sai Kishore and Varun Chakaravarthy advised him to trust his strengths and not worry about the batter.

From them, he’s learnt that “the simpler you keep the game, the easier it becomes.”

His distinctive diagonal run-up, cutting across the umpire and stumps, is a deliberate choice. Earlier, he bowled from a straight run-up, but on his coach Sandeep Rathi’s advice, he tried a diagonal run-up, which helped the ball come out “well from the hand” and created “a bit of drift.”

His bowling action includes a small leap into a long delivery stride. The leap helps him “get extra bounce,” and the long stride helps him impart more spin through “full transfer of body weight.”

He believes that his run-up and action make it “a bit difficult” for the batter “to read” him.

The 22-year-old also revealed that CSK and KKR have invited him for net bowling after the ongoing final against Maharashtra.