D'Arcy Short: 'Can't wait to come to India' 

Short's high strike-rate combined with consistency has been key to Hobart Hurricanes' run to the BBL finals this season. His exploits have earned him a contract with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Published : Feb 02, 2018 13:38 IST

D'Arcy Short has been picked Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
D'Arcy Short has been picked Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
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D'Arcy Short has been picked Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

Australia's D'Arcy Short, the leading run-scorer in this year's Big Bash League (504 from 10 games), was signed by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs. 4 Crore. And Short 'can't wait' to embrace the new experience.

"It feels great to be going to the IPL; it will be my first time to India so I am excited to learn about the people, the culture and of course playing with Rajasthan Royals.

"There will be so many great players to learn from – guys like Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler," Short told Sportstar

Short's high strike-rate combined with consistency has been key to Hobart Hurricanes' run to the BBL finals this season. However, the southpaw knows scoring runs in Indian conditions will be a whole new ballgame.

Read: Rajasthan Royals planning 'broader leadership' role for Stokes

"Batting through the middle overs has been a focus for me throughout BBL|07 and it has contributed to my big scores in the tournament," he said adding, "Obviously, playing in India presents different challenges. So I’ll certainly be talking to my teammates – both local and international – who have played in India and look at ways to make sure I’m batting deep into the innings." 

The 27-year-old has been included in Australia's T20 squad to face England and New Zealand in February's Tri-Series. Asked if a good IPL outing could further his case for future selection, Short said, "I’m not really looking that far ahead. Being picked for the T20 games this summer is a great thrill and I’d love to represent my country as much as possible. 

"The IPL is about scoring runs for the Royals and hopefully be there at the pointy end of the tournament." 

But does the hefty price tag bring pressure?

"No, not at all," he said.

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"There’s pressure every time you play a game of professional cricket. I just really wanted the opportunity to play in the IPL. It is such a great tournament with so many great players and I’ll learn a lot from the experience," he added. 

And will there be some Ashes banter when he meets Stokes and Buttler in India? "Haha no, I haven’t had the honour of playing Test cricket yet and both these guys have already achieved so much. They’d probably point to the fact that  the last time they both played in an Ashes series (2015) England won it quite comfortably!", he signed off. 

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