IPL auction: Hetmyer, let go by RCB, has 'zero expectation'

Shimron Hetmyer, who hit a fine century at Chepauk on Sunday, was released by the RCB will have a base price of Rs 50 lakh in the IPL auction.

Published : Dec 14, 2019 18:27 IST , CHENNAI

Shimron Hetmyer (first from left) and Keemo Paul (third from left) at Sportus, Adyar, on Saturday. Photo: Santadeep Dey
Shimron Hetmyer (first from left) and Keemo Paul (third from left) at Sportus, Adyar, on Saturday. Photo: Santadeep Dey
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Shimron Hetmyer (first from left) and Keemo Paul (third from left) at Sportus, Adyar, on Saturday. Photo: Santadeep Dey

The West Indies put up a spirited performance in the recently-concluded T20I series against India, and new captain Kieron Pollard himself showed the way alongside others through his gritty cameos.

Seamer Keemo Paul, part of the West Indian squad for the three-match One-Day International series against India, felt he was an inspiration for players from the Caribbean islands.

“[Pollard] is an inspiration for players around the world, especially in the Caribbean, so seeing him play in all these different leagues, and for West Indies especially, that is definitely a motivation [for me]. And there are a lot of other senior players like Jason Holder and they always guide you and share stuff. I think it is nice to have these guys around,” Paul told Sportstar here during a visit to Sportus , a sports store, alongside team-mate Shimron Hetmyer, in Adyar here on Saturday.

‘Good place for cricket’

West Indies has been in India for quite some time now, having played Afghanistan in limited-overs internationals ahead of the matches against India. It plays its first ODI against India at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday and Hetmyer couldn’t be more excited. “It is always nice playing in India. It is always a good place for the game. One can always look forward to playing against India in India. The pitches in India or rather some pitches, in some way, are similar.

“It is sometimes a challenge as well — some pitches are better than the others. Like you know, the Wankhede [stadium] now, is probably better and a little bit different than what we have here in Chennai. We have played with Afghanistan here and it always helps to play in different parts of different countries.”

‘Just a process’

The World T20 champion will be defending its title in Australia next year and Paul declared the side would train hard to clinch the crown for the third time. “It is just a process you know. It is trying to play one game at a time. We all want to improve and do well for West Indies so you know we are trying to train as hard as possible,” he said.

Shimron-Hetmyer
Hetmyer took time to pick his bat. Photo: Santadeep Dey
 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 will serve as a whetstone for the T20 World Cup. The auction is scheduled to be held on December 19 in Kolkata. While Paul has been retained by the Delhi Capitals, Hetmyer, who has been released by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, will be going under the hammer at a base price of ₹50 lakh.

No choice

When asked about his expectations from the upcoming season and which team would he like to move to, he laughed.

“I have zero expectations, man! Any team, I don’t really have a choice.”

In the store, it took close to 45 minutes, three different SG balls, and in-between discussions with Paul for Hetmyer to finally circle in on the bat he wanted. The staff at the store packed him the shiny new bat — SS Gladiator .

So, what are Hetmyer’s considerations when choosing a bat?

“In a perfect bat, I just look for the weight. It is of utmost importance, I don’t want it to be too heavy or too light, either. I also look for the levelling of the grip, as well, and also how nice the balance is,” Hetmyer remarked.

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