Having played in the Under-16s and Under-19s for Madhya Pradesh as an opening batter and part-time left-arm fingerspinner, Shivang started bowling left-arm wristspin some years ago to be more of a point of difference to the teams he plays for. A bit of success came at the Madhya Pradesh Premier League in 2025, when he picked up four wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 7.21.
Now, he could be in line for a first-class debut.
“It feels good, but right now I am not dwelling on the fact that I have played in the IPL and have served as India’s net bowler – every player in the IPL is one of the best from their state or country, which is why the IPL is the best league in the world,” he told Cricinfo. “So going and performing there, it still takes a bit of time to sink in. But IPL is not the ultimate goal, India is the ultimate goal. There is still a long way to go, a lot of cricket to play. This was just the first season and it was only the beginning.”
All along, Shivang has also made crucial runs from down the order, making him a bowler teams can depend on for contributions with the bat.
“I had received hints right from the first day of the pre-season camp that I was going to feature in the playing XI from the very first match,” Shivang said about the SRH experience. “The coaches were discussing strategies with me, setting up different scenarios for my bowling, and even telling me, ‘you are our wicket-taker.’ I had done well in the practice matches too, so I knew I would get an opportunity. I didn’t get the chance in the opening match, but from the second match onwards, I became a regular.”
The start wasn’t ideal. Shivang went wicketless and conceded 41 runs in his four overs against Kolkata Knight Riders, with Rinku Singh targeting him. In his second match, against Lucknow Super Giants, he picked up his first IPL wicket and was more economical, giving away 30 runs.
“The team management was very positive and confident that I would do well. Because of their confidence, I developed the self-belief that I could perform well even at this level”
Shivang Kumar on the SRH experience
“The team management was very positive and confident that I would do well. Because of their confidence, I developed the self-belief that I could perform well even at this level,” Shivang said. “A new player needs exactly this kind of environment to grow and bring out their best. It works like magic and you perform well. Whatever I could, I delivered this year, and hopefully, I will do even better next year.”
The team will expect him to – the numbers were good but not outstanding.
“As a spinner himself, [head coach Daniel] Vettori understands a bowler’s mindset. Sometimes, when I leaked runs and went wicketless for a couple of games, he would come up to me during the strategic timeouts and tell me, ‘you are bowling well, even good balls can be hit for sixes, so don’t think much about it.’ That support meant a lot, making me feel that I could pull things back.”
Varun Aaron, the bowling coach, was an even bigger help. “If I didn’t bowl well or went for runs in a match, Varun bhaiya never let me feel low. On those days, he would speak to me using very kind, positive words and would even tell me, ‘you are bowling now at just 50% of your potential, you can do much better.’ When a player who has represented the country in Test cricket tells you things like that, it gives you a massive boost.”
Unfortunately, from Shivang’s point of view, the explosive SRH top order didn’t give Shivang too many opportunities to show off his batting skills. In 13 matches, he got to bat in only six, and all he put up was 53 runs at a strike rate of 115.21. As a point of contrast, at the ongoing Madhya Pradesh Premier League, he is striking at 180.22.
“I want to show the world that I can bat. I started my cricket career purely as a batter,” Shivang said. “SRH’s batting line-up is so deep that I barely got a chance. But they know my batting capabilities and they encourage me too.”
Adding to the overall confidence is the stint with the Test side, where he bowled with the red ball to Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and others, and the chats with head coach Gautam Gambhir, who told Shivang he was “a unique combination [a left-arm wristspinner who bats too]” and wanted the young man to work on his batting too.
He is a rare breed. He has the tools, as he has shown on occasion. But to climb the ladder of Indian cricket, which is crowded with talented cricketers at every step, Shivang needs to do a lot more, starting with the Ranji Trophy this season.
दया सागर Cricinfo हिंदी में सब एडिटर हैं।dayasagar95