Kamlesh Nagarkoti is an Indian cricketer who currently represents Rajasthan in the domestic league. He was born in Barmer on December 28, 1999, and is one of India’s up-and-coming fast bowlers who can also play all-rounder when needed. He is a right-handed batsman with a right-arm medium bowling style. He can bowl at speeds of more than 140 kilometres per hour and over long periods of time.
Career
Domestic Career
On February 26, 2017, Nagarkoti made his List A cricket debut for Rajasthan against Mumbai in the 2016–17 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He took one wicket and was unbeaten on 21 runs in this match. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Gujarat two days after making his List A debut, Kamlesh took the first-ever hat-trick for Rajasthan in List A cricket.
Later, Nagarkoti took 14 wickets in two youth Tests against England Under-19, earning him a place in India’s 2018 World Cup Under-19 squad. He made his mark during India U-19’s first match against Australia U-19, taking three wickets and bowling at a steady rate of over 145 kph, with a top speed of 149 kph.
India secured the world cup in the finals by defeating Australia for the second time. Nagarkoti took two wickets and dismissed Australia’s U19 captain Jason Sangha in the final match on 3 February, sealing the match for the Indian batters as the colts won the match and the tournament by 8 wickets.
The raw pace inspired Rahul Dravid so much that he kept a close eye on him and included him in the U-23 squad for the Asia Cup.
IPL Career
Nagarkoti was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL auction in February 2018 for a whopping amount of INR 3.2 (USD 500,000 approx.) crore, riding high on the performance of the U-19 World Cup title. However, a broken foot caused him to miss his first IPL match, and a recurring back injury sidelined him for 19 months. KKR has stuck with him for two seasons, and in the 2020 season, the emerging star is predicted to prove his true potential for the franchise.
Background
Coach Surendra Rathore, who hails from Uttarakhand, spotted Nagarkoti in a Jaipur maidan and urged him to enter the academy. Nagarkoti progressed rapidly, developing sharp inswinger and reverse-swing bowling skills that allowed him to bowl batsmen on a regular basis.