The morning after his incredible all-round performance at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, K. Gowtham was still struggling to come to terms with what he had done.
"When I got up today, I still couldn't believe it myself," he told Sportstar here on Saturday. "After I saw all the messages on my phone, I realized it was something very special."
On Friday night, Gowtham produced what he later termed a 'once-in-a-lifetime' effort. Turning out for Ballari Tuskers in the KPL, he savaged Shivamogga Lions with both bat and ball. First, he smashed the tournament's fastest hundred off 39 balls before eventually finishing unbeaten on 134 (54b, 7x4, 13x6), the highest individual score in the KPL.
Then, he took eight for 15 from his four overs to post the best bowling figures in the KPL. "It was just one of those days when everything came off," he said. "Some days it comes off, some days it doesn't. That's why you should stay grounded all the time. I'm not getting carried away."
Gowtham had endured a difficult run with the bat leading into Friday's match, making scores of 11, 2 and 6 in his three previous innings. Promoted to No.3 on this occasion, the 30-year-old simply took the bowling apart.
He enjoyed his share of luck, dropped as he was a couple of times. But Gowtham ensured Shivamogga would pay. "We had spoken about going hard at them because they are a good bowling side. I was hitting the ball well and I kept going. That was my approach till the end," he said.
The confidence from his batting had spilled over into his bowling, Gowtham felt. "Of course it helps. Your body language is good, your energy levels are high. I wasn't trying to do different things with the ball. I just tried to keep it simple."
Gowtham was part of the India-A side that toured the West Indies a few weeks ago. He shone in the second and third four-day games, taking five and six-wicket innings hauls respectively. But the off-spinner insisted he was not thinking about a call-up to the Senior team. “I’m just doing what I can," he said. "I'm not thinking about things that are not in my control."
Asked what the source of his energy on Friday was, Gowtham chuckled. "I just had home food," he said.
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