Nosthush Kenjige Interview: MLC Gave Us Confidence To Do Well In T20 World Cup

Over the last 4-5 years, associate cricket has been at its very best. Majorly because countries like Canada [Global T20], the USA [Major League Cricket] and the UAE [ILT20] have churned out T20 leagues, giving their local talents the much-needed opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best in the business. 

The International League T20 (ILT20) is one of those tournaments that has seen not only players from the UAE get the exposure they deserve but also paved the way for associate cricketers to compete at a high level.

Nosthush Kenjige, a USA spinner, is one such player who has benefitted from it. He may not have played a game in the ILT20 yet, but he has been part of the Mumbai Indians (MI) dressing room around the world, including winning MLC with them (MI New York) in 2023. 

"I think from, from the associate player's point of view, I think it's a great initiative that the ILT20 has taken," Kenjige said in a chat with Cricket.com.

"To have two associate players in the team, it means that you can share the dressing room and see what the routines and how the, the bigger guys, the ones who have done really well in world cricket, go about doing their preparation in terms of the tactically or even in terms of technically. It's just a pleasure to be here."

Be it at the MI Emirates or New York, Kenjige has rubbed shoulders with some giants of the game, including Nicholas Pooran, his captain, Kieron Pollard, and Akeal Hosein, among others. He believes that such stars are humble and are easy to approach in terms of getting valuable tips.

“With the big players, I think one thing that stands out is they're really confident in their abilities, and off the field, they're very humble, they're very approachable," he said.

"So if you want to learn something, this is the best place to be, any questions that you have. I've had a journey that's lasted for more than 7 to 8 years; they've spent so much time in the arena, so it's just easy to go and shoot your questions because they've been in the war. Somebody like me who's younger in terms of cricket experience, whatever questions I have, it's just easy for me to shoot to them, and they're very approachable and help me through it."

As part of the MI family, there is a certain familiarity factor when it comes to having almost the same teammates in both setups, which has certainly helped Kenjige find his own feet. 

"Since there's a crisscross between the players coming from New York to Emirates, I think it helps in the sense that I know them well because we've played there together," he reckons.

“And since Pooran was my captain there, it helps that I have a familiar face who is leading the team here as well. It's, it's a good relationship to have with these guys. Even Pollard is here, and it's kind of, you see them here and you go back there as well, and you know that. If you're working on your game, then it's visible when you come here,” he added.

“Once you finish this tournament, there's a continuity and it gives you a kind of validation as to if you're working on your game and if you're improving from your game. So, it's a very good feeling for me to play with the same guys, and I really appreciate what MI has done for me.”

Every cricketer dreams of playing in the T20 World Cup, but very few get the opportunity to do so. Kenjige is one of the lucky ones who not only played in it but also made an instant impact.

On his T20 World Cup debut, he took wickets of Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan, playing a huge role in restricting Pakistan to under 160. It turned out to be one of the best games of the tournament, as the USA went on to win the game in the Super Over.

Kenjige believes that MLC played a huge role in the USA, putting up an excellent show in the World Cup. "I think the World Cup was a big game-changer for cricket in the USA. I think it just brought all the eyeballs into the USA cricket," the 33-year-old spinner said.

"I think we were quietly very confident of doing well against the bigger sides. One of the reasons was the Major League. We played two years of Major League before the World Cup, and in the major leagues, we played among the best in the world.

Also Read: Nosthush Kenjige - the spinner from Chikkamagaluru who plagued Pakistan

"That kind of gives you that confidence that you can do well against the same players who are in the World Cup. So once you have rubbed shoulders with Pollard, Pooran, Tim David, and Trent Boult, you learn from them, and then all of a sudden, you're representing your country in the biggest stage.

"You can just carry your learnings and experience, and it helps in those big moments. I think that is one of the main reasons we did well in the World Cup, and we also made sure that we qualified for the 2026 World Cup. So, hopefully, we do well there as well."

However, Kenjige often finds himself in competition with Harmeet Singh, who is a left-arm spinner too but is a better batter. As a result, when it comes to picking just one of the two, it is Harmeet who gets the nod.

Kenjige admits that he has been working on his batting to be more valuable to the team.

"I think one thing for me personally is there's always the pursuit of being the best version of myself. So, I don't think I'm anywhere close to it. And in terms of my game, in the overall sense, I think I want to improve in all aspects where I can give value to the team," Kenjige said.

"So batting is one region where I'm working as well. I've been working here with Robin [Singh, MI Emirates coach] sir, and we have so many coaches who have so much knowledge. So it just becomes easier to just bat and gain insight from their knowledge.

"On the bowling front, it's been a journey where I'm trying to explore what kind of variations, what kind of angles, what kind of speeds I can be bowling at on different surfaces and trying to learn from Akeal [Hosein] as to what his mental clarity and picture he goes through bowling in different situations of the game as well.

"So it's a process which will be never ending because if you stop learning, then there's no point playing the game because you want to learn every day. So, just working on those areas, and let's see how we go." 

With a year and a half or so to go before the T20 World Cup, Kenjige will hope that the ILT20 and MLC will continue to help him improve and take him and US cricket to greater heights (yet again).