West Indies’ all-rounder Raheem Cornwall is renowned for his decent fitness despite carrying a bulky physique.
Cornwall came into the reckoning after dismissing Virat Kohli in a tour game during India’s trip to West Indies in 2016. Later, he picked the prized wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the same game to break the back of Indian middle-order.
During one of the net sessions, the Indian captain specifically asked Cornwall to bowl at him. Rahkeem has now tagged being handpicked by Kohli to bowl at him as the ‘breakthrough moment’ in his career.
“That was in a President’s XI game in St Kitts. I got a five-wicket haul in that game as well. I got Kohli lbw and Rahane caught bat-pad. They were basic off-spin deliveries with just a little bit of bounce. I also got Pujara bowled in that match – he was attempting a sweep shot,” Cornwall told ESPNCricinfo.
“I see it as a breakthrough moment for me where one of the best batsmen in the world is asking for me to come to bowl to him in the nets,” he added.
Soon after, Cornwall made his Test debut later in the series, where he picked up three wickets including Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami and Pujara again.
Later, he featured against Afghanistan at Lucknow, back in November 2019, where he clinched a ten-wicket haul in the match.
The Antigua-born displayed his all-round prowess while representing St. Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The 27-year-old represented the West Indies’ A’ team as well as the Board President’s XI side.
“You learn a lot. A lot of patience, [that you need to] stick to line and length consistently rather than being all over the place,” Cornwall concluded.
