Chennai, Sep 6 (IANS) Clocking 100 first-class appearances felt like a distant dream for Shreyas Gopal. But with that achieved via taking the field for the ongoing Duleep Trophy final, the Karnataka leg-spin bowling all-rounder said he is driven by an even larger mission: proving that leg-spinners still have a vital role to play in red-ball cricket.

Gopal, along with veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami, completed the milestone of 100 First-Class matches during the ongoing Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and East Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.

“Definitely not, but everyone dreams of playing for the country, playing 100 First-Class games. It’s a very special achievement and I’m very grateful for this opportunity. I’m very happy about this,” Gopal told reporters at the end of day one’s play.

Gopal’s career has enjoyed a significant second wind since returning to Karnataka after playing for Kerala in 2024. In the previous Ranji Trophy season, he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker with 48 scalps alongside hitting five half-centuries with the bat.

“I put in a lot of work, especially on bowling. I was told that there are not too many leg-spinners who have played upwards of 30-50 games. I wanted to make a point to show that leg-spinners can play red-ball cricket and still be successful.

“I put a lot of work into my bowling. Batting was a little more gifted for me, in the sense that I grew up as a batsman so I had that natural ability to bat, but bowling took a lot. I bowled a lot of weeks, months and years,” he added.

According to Gopal, the primary shift in his bowling approach over recent seasons has been tactical rather than purely technical. “Using the crease, understanding what situation it is and when to attack, when to defend.

“Most times it will come off, sometimes, like today, it is not going to come off. But as long as you go in with a plan, as long as you try and achieve something with a goal, it at least gives you a sense of direction. If you just go there without a plan, most times you are not going to be aware of what’s going to hit you.”

With over a decade of experience of playing domestic cricket, Gopal, who ended up with 0-77 in 19 overs on day one, signed off by emphasising on the importance of emotional equilibrium through the unpredictable nature of the game. “I think it’s very important to stay neutral, not get too carried away with success, and on days like today, not feel too terrible about it.

“There was a person who once told me that it’s harder to handle success than failure. When you’re successful, you can get carried away a lot easier. When you don’t get that success, you want to do so much better, so you try and work a lot harder. But it’s very important that you work as hard as when you’re successful and when things are falling.”

–IANS

nr/