Cricket's human machines: Meet Delhi Capitals’ unsung heroes

"First, I started with my right hand to bowl with a sidearm. Little by little, I developed that. Gradually, I started with my left hand as well. So, when I tried with my left hand, I was told that I could continue. Now, I mostly bowl with my left hand," he explained.

Berde's foray into cricket started late. He was 18 when he was introduced to the sport and didn't get many opportunities straightaway. It was then that he took the practical decision of coaching while playing to keep his playing options open.

With playing chances dwindling with age, he embraced the growing trend of throwdown specialists and sidearm experts. He has been with the Delhi Capitals for a year and has spent three seasons with the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.

Darshan

Darshan is the most experienced of the three throwdown specialists in DC's fold. He joined the setup eight years ago, having earlier played at the U-16 and U-19 levels in Jammu & Kashmir.

His first foray to the capital as a cricketer came around 2012, before a serious back injury in 2014 halted his journey. Two years later, he switched focus entirely to coaching and being a throwdown specialist.

Darshan, 32, comes from Ramban district -- nearly 150 kms from Jammu. After the end of his playing years, he practised and worked at the famed Sonnet Club in Delhi. In 2016, doors to the Delhi Capitals opened.

When asked what makes for a good throwdown specialist, Darshan explained that it is not the pace. "It doesn't matter if you bowl 150 or 160 kmpg. It doesn't matter. What matters is how many balls you're bowling into a good length area, how much in-swing and out-swing you get if you bowl a red ball. Or if you bowl with a white ball, you get more yorkers. It matters more what you bowl," explained Darshan.

Beyond the IPL, Darshan has worked in the ILT20 (with the Dubai Capitals), Legends League, Asia Cup and the J&K domestic team.

"In 2021, I worked with the J&K team for two years. The team was doing well then also. We were playing a lot of tournaments in the off-season.

"We were going abroad to play cricket. The problem with J&K is that there is little club cricket. There is more matting cricket. If club cricket comes, it will be better. There are more bowlers because they play on the mat. If you play on the astro(turf), it will be better. There is good talent there."

Sai Pendam

Sai Pendam started to speak to the huddled reporters before sheepishly side-stepping and urging his colleagues to answer first. Hailing from Manikonda district in Telangana, Pendam is just about five feet tall. Yet, that hasn't stopped him from pursuing his passion.

His 'push' into becoming a sidearm and throwdown specialist came after corruption snatched his playing career as an off-spinner.

When he started as a sidearm specialist in 2021 at the Adnan Cricket Academy in Hyderabad, on the insistence of his friend Ganesh, the learning curve was stiff.

"He (Adan) told me that I have a lot of talent. You can do it. You can go to a higher level. I started from there.

"After a month, I started feeling pain in my shoulders. At one time, I thought that I will leave sidearm (coaching). He told me that nothing would happen. He told me that this is how it starts. He told me that if I get used to it, I won't have any problems.

"After that, I got the chance to make players practise. I didn't want money. I just wanted a chance. I was waiting for that chance."

That chance came during one such camp when he was spotted by DC head coach Hemang Badani, DC Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao, ex-India stumper Wriddhiman Saha and GMR Group's Ruchir Grandhi.

Ever since, he's done multiple ILT20 campaigns, IPL seasons and the Legends Cricket League in the three years with the GMR Sports fold.