Hrithik Shokeen's long road back: A back injury, Delhi's faith and a maiden five-for

The Delhi-Gujarat Ranji Trophy match at the Palam B ground was a long exercise in patience. Delhi piled up 648 for six declared after winning the toss, but the flat pitch made an outright result difficult. They settled for three points after bowling Gujarat out for 479 to secure a first-innings lead of 169 runs, having spent 174.1 overs in the field. Delhi enforced the follow-on in the hope of quick breakthroughs, but with Gujarat reaching 15 for one in eight overs by the scheduled tea break, both teams agreed to call it a day.Hrithik Shokeen had bowled 53 overs in Gujarat's first innings. By the time he came out to speak to reporters, the Delhi off-spinner had changed into a black T-shirt after a long spell on a surface that offered little help to the bowlers.He had five wickets to show for his effort. Shokeen finished with figures of five for 143, his first five-wicket haul in First Class cricket. For a bowler whose progress had been interrupted by a stress fracture in his lower back, it was an important moment."Of course, it is my first five-wicket haul, so it is very special. I will try to continue performing like this in the future," Shokeen told reporters at the Palam ground. The pitch was slow and flat, leaving little room for the bowlers to attack. Shokeen said Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya had asked the spinners to keep bowling in the same area and wait for the batters to make a mistake."It was a slightly slow and flat track. We were trying to bowl consistently in one area. Our coach, Vijay Sir, told us to keep bowling at the same spot, and that is what helped me get the result," he said. Shokeen was careful not to make too much of the conditions, even though he admitted the long spells had tested Delhi's bowlers."I would not say that I have found any wicket particularly difficult so far. But yes, this was a hard-working wicket for us, as you saw, a lot of runs were scored. I would not say this was the most difficult wicket of my life."A STRESS FRACTURE AND CHANGE IN APPROACHShokeen made his First Class debut against Assam in December 2022. He has since played 17 First Class matches across five seasons, including an appearance for India C against India D in the 2024 Duleep Trophy. He played only twice in each of the last two Ranji Trophy campaigns.A stress fracture in his back, suffered after playing one-day cricket last year, was a setback. But Shokeen was clear that he had never felt short of support from Delhi."I don't know if you are aware, but I got injured after playing one-day cricket last year. I suffered a stress fracture in my back. So, I do not think the lack of game time was the issue. Delhi have always backed me and supported me. Ever since I started playing, I have always received their backing," he said."I fell a little behind because of the injury, but that is fine. I will work towards moving forward now."The injury also made him look more closely at his bowling action. Shokeen said even his physiotherapist had pointed out how unusual it was for a spinner to suffer a stress fracture in the back."Yes, even my physiotherapist told me that it was quite an unusual injury for a spinner to suffer. Because of that injury, I worked a lot on my bowling action, particularly my bowling line-up and follow-through. That has helped me improve," he said.He does not describe the changes as a complete remodelling of his action. Instead, he worked on specific aspects with Dahiya's help.Shokeen has made only 12 appearances across formats since December 2024. After spending so much time away from regular cricket, his priority is to make the most of the chances he gets.A LONG DAY FOR DELHI'S BOWLERS Hrithik Shokeen (PTI Photo) Delhi had a first-innings lead of 169 runs, but they chose to enforce the follow-on rather than settle for the draw. They believed a couple of early wickets could put Gujarat under pressure.Shokeen struck early on the fourth morning, dismissing overnight batter Manan Hingrajia to leave Gujarat at 385 for six. But captain Chintan Gaja, who had scored 41 on the third day, went on to make 82 and helped the lower order keep Delhi in the field.The pitch offered less as the match wore on, and the prospect of an outright result faded. Gujarat were 15 for one after eight overs in their second innings when the teams shook hands at tea. Delhi took three points after losing their opening-round match to Bengal.Shokeen said Delhi had hoped to make early inroads after enforcing the follow-on."Our plan was to enforce the follow-on and try to get a result. We felt that if we picked up even two wickets in the first 10 overs, we would back ourselves to bowl them out. But as the match progressed, the wicket started behaving differently and became slower, so we felt that getting a result would be difficult," he said.On a flat pitch, he explained, bowlers had to rely on accuracy and changes of pace."On a flat wicket, you have to bowl more consistently in one area, and you have to vary your pace, bowling slower and faster deliveries. As you mentioned, the captain and I kept discussing what we could do better on this wicket," he said.Shokeen also spoke about the partnership he built with fellow spinner Sumit Mathur. Their plan was to keep the pressure on rather than chase wickets with deliveries that could be hit for runs."Bowling is always about partnerships, whether you are a fast bowler or any other type of bowler. Sumit and I had planned to keep bowling in the same area. We felt that if we continued bowling in one spot, the batter would eventually make a mistake, which would give us a chance to take a wicket," he said.NO LABELS, JUST THE NEXT OPPORTUNITYShokeen made his T20 debut for Mumbai Indians in the IPL in 2022, but he does not see himself as a bowler suited to just one format.Asked if he was concerned about being labelled a white-ball bowler, he said the format should not define a player."I do not think like that. I do not believe that there is just one type of bowler or one type of batter. You just have to try to give your best in whichever format you play," he said.He has little control over selection, he added, and prefers to focus on what he can do when picked."Being in or out of the team is not in my hands. Whenever I play, I try to give my best. I did that whenever I played earlier, and I will continue to give my best whenever I play in the future," he said.WHY DELHI NEED TO BACK THEIR SPINNERSDelhi have struggled to settle on a consistent spin combination in recent Ranji Trophy seasons. Shokeen's limited run of matches is part of that wider picture, and he believes backing from the coach can make a difference.He said Dahiya had spoken to him about the team's struggles with spin bowling and told him that he believed Shokeen could do well."He also told me that our spinners have not been doing well over the past few years, but he believes that I can do well. I think that kind of backing is very important in a player's career. Vijay Sir has backed me, and hopefully, I got the result today. I hope to continue getting good results in the future as well," he said.Delhi need to give their spinners time to establish themselves. Shokeen's five-wicket haul is a good start, but one performance will not solve the team's problems. What matters now is whether he and the other spinners get a consistent run of matches to prove themselves.Shokeen is not looking too far ahead. His next match is against Jharkhand, and that is where his attention lies."My next match is against Jharkhand, and that is my focus. I prefer to think about the next match rather than set too many goals," he said.For Shokeen, the five-for is something to build on after an injury that interrupted his progress. He wants to keep playing and performing. Delhi now have to decide how much trust they are willing to place in their spinners.- Ends