Photo - Instagram / @suchithj16You ask any 90's kid about a favourite cricketing memory, and Sachin Tendulkar's famous 'Desert Storm' innings in the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup will feature at least once. It was the same for Karun Nair and Mandeep Singh, and Jagadeesha Suchith is no different.
"It was the first time I remember watching cricket. I would play every day with my friends late into the evening, but that day we stopped our activities because we didn't want to miss the match. And thank goodness, we didn't," reminisces Suchith in a chat with Kings XI Punjab.
An auspicious introduction to cricket meant that amateur cricketing action only increased for the Mysore lad. The other cricketer to come out of the city was a man who went by the name of Javagal Srinath, and Suchith's father enrolled him in the very club the famous bowler trained at - Naidu Gymkhana.
Suchith made his debut for them as a nine-year-old and played for the Karnataka U-13s just two years later after which there was no looking back. He played regularly for Karnataka, but it meant that he had to constantly travel between the capital city Bengaluru and his hometown.
"I played every age-group for Karnataka and was progressing through the ranks quickly. I was always shuttling between the two cities and then finally decided to permanently live in Bengaluru. It would only make things easier for me," says Suchith.
Read | Jagadeesha Suchith seeks his opportunity with Kings XI Punjab
Life at 21 seemed very rosy. Suchith had made a coveted VIVO Indian Premier League debut in Mumbai Indians' second title-winning season in 2015, in which he played a key part.
Later in the year, he made his First-Class debut for Karnataka against Bangladesh A in Mysore, and had a memorable outing - picking the wicket of half-centurion Liton Das in the first innings and then making a valuable 41 with the bat. In the second innings, he spun a web around Bangladesh, picking 6-60 and led Karnataka to victory as they chased down 181.
And that was where the high ended. He played more games for Karnataka in 2016 but the returns dried up. He was dropped at the end of the year and it became the lowest point of Suchith's fledgling career. This was when he decided to do the most basic thing to bounce back - play club cricket.
"It was the most difficult period in my career. For two years, my life did not move forward. But I did not leave cricket behind, it was all I knew. I went back to play for Vultures CC (a club in Bengaluru) and picked up 42 wickets in 11 games, I ended up as the highest wicket-taker," states Suchith.
"It kept my confidence high, and ensured I was fit and ready for a Karnataka call-up if it came. Sure enough it did, after a gap of two years but was more than worth it."
Suchith made up for his absence with nine wickets in the game, including a fifer in the second innings to announce his comeback in style. It did not give Karnataka a win but had brought happiness back into his life.
An opportunity is all he craves. He knows he is good enough to play at the highest level - you cannot play for a state side or in the IPL without having some sort of talent. And Suchith has played for two of them.
His integration into the KXIP side is expected to be smooth - he has his Karnataka mates for company. All he has to do is put those fingers into motion and give the ball and the side's fortunes, a great spin in the IPL.
