Who is Shahbaz Ahmed?

"I want to be like Ben Stokes for the team - trustworthy enough to win the match for the team in all types of situations." This is what Shahbaz Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo after helping Bengal pull off a miraculous run chase against Rajasthan in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy. The spin-bowling all-rounder might be shy by nature but has the tendency to step up and bring his A-game forward in crunch situations. Ahmed has been a key player for Bengal in the last couple of seasons, but he found himself in some sort of a similar situation on Wednesday (April 14), this time with the ball in hand, and at a much bigger stage.

Royal Challengers Bangalore could only manage 149 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and the latter got off to a fantastic start, courtesy David Warner's stroke-filled fifty. Once the left-handed opener was dismissed, RCB skipper Virat Kohli handed the ball to Ahmed for the first time in the 15th over. The left-arm orthodox spinner bowled a tidy first over but Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey were still around, with SRH needing 35 off the final four overs. The Orange Army were on top but that's when Ahmed turned the game on its head.

The surface at the Chepauk was offering enough assistance to the spinners and with two right-handers at the crease, Kohli trusted Ahmed to bowl the 17th over. And, the 26-year-old responded in some style. Ahmed first outfoxed Bairstow and Pandey in back-to-back deliveries and then dismissed the hard-hitting batsman Abdul Samad - all in a space of six deliveries - to turn the game in RCB's favour. Ahmed didn't contribute much with the bat, but he is a trier, and will chip in one way or the other. The stars finally and rightly seem to be aligning for Ahmed who didn't really have a straightforward journey.

Early days

Ahmed was born in Mewat (renamed Nuh in 2016), a district in Haryana, which according to Niti Aayog report was called the most backward district of India in 2018. He grew up in Shikrawa village but soon moved to Palwal district to join a cricket academy. He played zonal-level competitions in Haryana but things didn't quite work out for the all-rounder and decided to move to Bengal in 2015. His friend Pramod Chandila, who too plays for Bengal, helped him make that life-changing move.

Ahmed started playing for Tapan Memorial Club in the first division but faced allegations for not possessing proper residential proof. He was called the "outsider" but Ahmed made rapid strides and has now become a household name in Bengal cricket. His father works in the district collector's office in Mewat, while his mother is a home-maker.

Domestic record

Ahmed, who made his debut for Bengal in 2018, has played 13 first-class games, 21 List A and 25 T20s for the state. He has been impressive in all three formats but it was in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy where he forced everyone to sit up and take notice. In 11 games, Ahmed smashed 509 runs at an average of 36.35 and also picked up 35 scalps at 16.8. The all-rounder single-handedly won Bengal four-five games and led them to their first Ranji Trophy final since 2006-07. He was at the forefront in those back-to-the-wall situations and that tells you something about the mindset of a player.

He is often compared to Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja because of the all-round package he provides and that is what makes him a utility player in the shortest format of the game. Ahmed has scored 195 runs in 15 T20 innings at a strike rate of 119.63 and has also taken 24 wickets at a strike rate of 19 and an economy of 6.85. Bengal coach Arun Lal called him "the heart of the team" and if he could continue to make these vital contributions, Ahmed could soon become the heartbeat of the RCB team as well.

Is this his maiden IPL season?

No, he made his IPL debut for RCB last season. He went for trials for Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2020 auction but missed the one for SRH because of the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy. RCB didn't call him for trials but the all-rounder was bought by the franchise for INR 20 lakh in the 2020 auction. He only featured in two games last season but has been part of Bangalore's playing XI from the very first game this year.

RCB only have one game remaining in Chennai and will then move to Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata respectively. The conditions there are not going to be favorable for the spinners but if Ahmed could keep chipping in all three facets of the game, it would be difficult for the team management to leave him out.

How did the cricket fraternity react to his performance against SRH?