Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
In the high-octane environment of the International League Twenty20 (ILT20), the world's finest batsmen yield the willow to unleash boundaries and sixes with brute force irrespective of the pace and conditions at grounds in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. But behind the run machines, the prep that goes on and the men behind it go almost unnoticed.
Some of them hold a long, slender stick-like mechanism with a cradled end that flings a cricket ball at maximum speeds and angles at will. They are the sidearm specialists who can throw down deliveries customised to the demands of batsmen wanting to hone a particular type of shot.
They do the heavy lifting for the best fast bowlers in their team and make sure they also remain fresh to take up the ball battles.
People like Sai Pendam and Saurabh Ambatkar are behind-the-scenes architects of batting successes for their respective teams – Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. At the time of filing this, on Thursday, the batting charts have two DC batsmen perched at the top, Jordan Cox and Shayan Jahangir. And they have the diminutive Pendam to also thank for keeping them sharp between the matches in a hectic window.
"When we are not having matches, which are usually very close and almost back-to-back, the practice is optional, but many turn up and want me to have a go at them.
These are busy days, and I love it," says Pendam in a conversation with Aletihad.
The young sidearm specialist, 24, is now an intrinsic component of any professional cricket team. It is a profession for those who could not quite make it big as cricketers but refused to let go of the game. For Pendam, the journey started in a small village one hundred kilometres away from Hyderabad. His story is one of raw survival before he ever found his way to a cricket stadium.
"My father used to work in the village cutting trees, just to earn five hundred rupees for a family of four, that too on an inconsistent basis," Pendam says. Despite the challenges, he played "good level of cricket" without elaborating, but hinted that a lack of resources and a simpleton fighting through, along with the "politics" of making it from the competitive ecosystem, meant the tide was always against him.
He is not bitter; rather, his home situation, urgency, and still alive passion for cricket meant he decided clearly to take up a cricket-related job. "I thought I would never be with the big players, though I wanted to be like them, but if I could not play, I still wanted some work so that I could stay among them. If I had tried to study and get a degree, I would have been away from the game, so I came into this field instead."
He started with a modest salary of five thousand rupees (approx Dh200) as ground staff at the state headquarters Hyderabad Cricket Association, immediately after the COVID-19 period, eventually getting a Rs 20,000 gig when the local Twenty20 cricket league was held.
One thing led to another, and quickly the word spread and Pendam arrived in 2023 in the UAE for his first international gig, ILT20. "In my first season, I had a bit of a problem and my bowling wasn't quite up to par, but the entire franchise staff encouraged my comeback." Cut to 2025 and the less than five-feet-tall is a key part of the side, affectionately nicknamed "Chotu" or the shorter one.
"I didn't even know what a gym was back in the village, where I just used to throw things and got used to the movement. Now, players like Rovman Powell and other DC teammates are very supportive."
On the other end of the spectrum is Ambatkar, who brings a different kind of pedigree to the role. A former left-arm spinner who played Ranji Trophy for Vidarbha, Ambatkar represents the elite tier of specialists who have turned a physical skill into a coaching science.
"I started as a sidearm specialist for KKR because there are very few left-arm throwers available in India and elsewhere," Ambatkar explains. This rarity made him a prized asset, even eventually leading him to assist the England squad during the 2023 World Cup, held in India.
Almost every player "needs that left-arm angle for practice", Ambatkar said, putting up an examples of names such as Shubhman Gill and Rinku Singh.
"Rinku Singh, for instance, used to struggle to hit the pull shot against high pace because he wasn't getting into position quickly enough. He practised a lot with the sidearm. He would always call me and say, bowl short, sir, hit me ... I have to practice."
Incidentally, the India squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup in a couple of months opted for Singh over Gill, the reason offered by the selectors being that the squad gets more combinations in batting order options.
"The benefit of the sidearm is that the batsman has to play pace, and fast bowlers simply cannot be that consistent for so long," says Ambatkar. He sees himself as more than just a human catapult, often doubling as a technical sounding board for the stars.
"I am the overall package. I can guide them during batting also because I know their position and can suggest adjustments. Even the foreign players are very humble, and they listen."
Ambatkar is part of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise's coaching apparatus along with coach Abhishek Nayar and Gautam Gambhir, who got promoted from the franchise coaching post to that of the Indian national cricket team.
For Pendam, the future is no longer about the uncertainty of a daily wage in a distant village. There is no steady stream, but three or four projects in a year are enough to keep him busy, the bank balance happy, and the heart even more happy.
"I will continue to work here and work harder. I have never had any issues, and I am getting accepted by teams who support and encourage me, so nothing concerns me," he says. There are no side effects, just pure smiles around him as he signs off.
