Duleep Trophy 2023: Fit-again Arzan Nagwaswalla Wants to Make Domestic Season Count

Back in 2021, Gujarat pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla received an unexpected call that took him closer to the ultimate dream. The dream to represent your country at the highest level. Nagwaswalla was named in the standbys for the World Test Championship final and the Test series in England. He wasn’t in the main squad but the experience of training and bowling to Virat Kohli & Co was a memorable stint for the youngster. It hasn’t been a smooth ride for the left-armer since that stint with Team India as an elbow injury made him miss the majority of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season.

“Last year, I didn’t play any Ranji Trophy barring that one game against Tripura and then I got injured and because of that I didn’t get to play the rest of the tournament. I only got fit last month in May. I injured my left elbow and underwent an arthroscopic surgery in January and then started my rehab. I was in NCA from December till May,” Nagwaswalla told News18 CricketNext.

The 25-year-old is a wicket-taking option with the new ball and will now be representing Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2023 which gets underway in Bengaluru from June 28. After a long rehab stint at the NCA, the seamer is now back to 100% fitness and has regained rhythm.

“As I said, I was in the NCA. They were guiding me throughout and my rehab was taken care of. I then slowly started with my bowling routine. I started with 40-50% of intensity and to get to 100%, it took me almost two months. Right now, I’m totally fine and bowling in good rhythm,” said Nagwaswalla.

He has had a good start with Gujarat in the domestic circuit and has that knack of picking wickets (87 wickets in 23 First-Class matches, 51 scalps in 27 List-A games & 35 wickets in 25 T20 matches). The elbow was bothering him for around two years but it was during the Ranji game against Tripura when the pain aggravated and he eventually decided to go for the surgery.

“I have had this elbow issue thing for two years now. After that three-match Ranji Trophy season, I got one injection shot in the elbow, then I took a break, then I again began with my rehab and slowly started with my bowling.

“Everything was certainly going fine, I even played India ‘A’ after that. Last year, I featured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The elbow was totally fine but during the first game of Ranji trophy, it started to pain. The pain aggravated so much that I couldn’t lift my elbow. Then I went to the NCA after the match in December. Their I did my rehab, tried to strengthen the elbow and forearms. But when I started to bowl again, the pain was still there in the same area. That is when we thought of going for the surgery. There was a small chip bone roaming freely in the elbow. We just had to get that removed through arthroscopic surgery. Fortunately, everything went well and now as per our plans, I’m again back to bowling,” said the seamer.

The big season

Nagwaswalla understands that he has a big domestic season coming up and needs to be careful with his elbow to be fully fit and be available for all the matches for his side. The youngster is not thinking too much at the moment and is very excited to return to action.

“First of all, I’m very excited now because to be able to play a match is like a big thing for me as of now. So, I’m very excited. Just hoping to play this entire season, starting from this Duleep Trophy till the end. I just want to be fit and be available for all the matches. This in itself, would be a kind of big success for me for this year,” the 25-year-old said.

Talking about his daily regime and how the left-armer is getting back on track, Arzan explained the drills that he has been following post his surgery and added that he tries to bowl 35-40 overs in a week’s time.

“We have to manage our load as well. Right now, the main target is to get into the groove. Let’s say in a match as a fast bowler, I’m supposed to bowl around 35-40 overs (if you take both the innings), as of now, I’m targeting to bowl that many overs in a span of one week. That is how I’m trying to prepare for the matches,” he said.

“Unfortunately, not getting any match practice here because all the matches that are happening around my area are white-ball games. Also, there are no camps right now as well. I have been bowling well, ticking off all the targets and putting in that effort now. I just hope it comes out well in the match,” added Arzan.

Transition from red ball to white & vice-versa

Featuring in a long domestic season means that the players will have to make the shift from red ball to white and vice-versa but Nagwaswalla is of the opinion that it’s all about the mindset. The left-handed bowler agrees that there can be a few changes here and there but the basics remain the same.

“For me, it’s only a change in the mind set. No matter, whether it’s a white ball or red, the focus is on bowling perfect line and lengths. I practice a lot with the new ball because I know I have to bowl with it in all the matches.

“For death overs, we have to practice some Yorkers or probably the slower ones, any variations that we are comfortable with to get the confidence before the matches. Basically, as I said, it’s all about the mindset,” he said.

Getting back into the groove

The fast bowler who hails from Surat is focused on getting some game time and find his rhythm back.

“There are around 10-12 bowlers from the country who are there and our work load will be managed by NCA. We just have to follow our routine and be ready for anything that comes up. As of now, I have to play certain amount of matches to get that confidence again to get picked,” he said.

Arzan has spent time in MI camp as a net bowler but hasn’t played any IPL game so far. Quizzed whether the omission has been disappointing for him, the medium pacer admitted that it’s a bit “disheartening” but added that he wants to concentrate more on the things that are in his control.

“Obviously, it’s a little disheartening but I always believe that you can’t get anything before time. So, I’m just waiting for my time to come and focusing on the things that I can control,” he concluded.