When Dindigul Dragons strolled out for the Tamil Nadu Premier League season-opener here on Tuesday, there was uncertainty over how the 2024 title-winner would cope with the absence of two masters of the spin-bowling craft.

R. Ashwin is in the dugout as a mentor and not on the field while Varun Chakaravarthy is yet to recover from a hamstring injury. But in an encouraging sign for its adaptive strategy, the Dindigul side watched debutant leggie Nirankar Sharma dish out a Player-of-the-Match performance of three for 21 against Tiruppur Tamizhans.

Nirankar, who moved from Madhya Pradesh to Tamil Nadu to fuel his cricket dream, tightened the screws in the middle overs with his miserly spell.

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“I was just so excited. It was an emotional moment for me because I had waited for it (making his maiden appearance at such a level) for years. I could not have asked for a better debut. The Dragons management, Ashwin bhaiya and Inder (B. Indrajith) anna have been supporting me a lot,” said Nirankar, the lone DD spinner in action on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old is enjoying the time of his professional life when learning the tricks of the trade from Ashwin.

“I had dreamt of working with him. He has been superb with his mentorship. He is expecting a lot from me. Hopefully, I fulfil his expectations. I cannot ask for anything better with what is going on in my life,” added the slow bowler.

After making a good first impression, Nirankar should strive for consistency.  

Published on Aug 05, 2026