JOIN USIt would have appeared a surprise move for many as Doeschate plays for a country with little tradition in cricket. But the all-rounder has proved his value on many occasions as a T20 freelancer over the last few years. An IPL contract, however, was far from his mind though he participated in the auction.
“Honestly, it was a surprise for me. I never expected to get picked up by an IPL team. But it really is a pleasant day for me and I will try my best to give my best if given an opportunity,” Doeschate said in an e-mail.
For the record, Doeschate was adjudged the Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year at the ICC Awards held at Bangalore in October. He was also the Most Valuable Player in the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition while playing for Canterbury Wizards, scoring 284 from nine matches at 40.57 at an impressive strike rate of 122. He was also the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets at 17.66 at handy economy rate of just over six.
Doeschate admitted that playing in the sub-continent could be a vastly different experience. “I have played for Essex (England) and for Canterbury in New Zealand, and the conditions were helpful for bowlers over there. But in India I heard that conditions suit batsmen more, so as a bowler you need to adopt some different strategies to be successful. Hopefully, I can adapt well and also I hope to score a few runs,” he said.
Doeschate was happy that there were followers of his performances in India. “This year has been a year of good performances for me and I am happy that I have got recognition for them as far a place as India. I have seen a few matches played in India on TV. There seem to be great crowd in stadiums and I think it will be great fun.”
So, be ready for some Dutch flavour!