“Mujhe zor se bolna, ghumao bhaiyaji, toh main ghumate jaunga!” (“Just give me the war cry to swing, and I won’t stop swinging.”) Shayan Jahangir joked to opening partner Monank Patel late on the eve of a game against Texas Super Kings during Major League Cricket’s inaugural season.
The remark came at a time when the domestic contingent was under scrutiny. The consensus around the league was that American players needed to raise their standards to match the quality of overseas stars. Jahangir and Monank, meanwhile, were being nudged to provide quicker starts at the top.
Yet it was an unusual request coming from Jahangir. Aggression has rarely been something he needed permission for. Throughout his career, he has been a batter whose first instinct has been to impose himself on bowlers. But for all the explosive cameos he produced across MLC’s first three seasons, sustained success remained elusive. Despite establishing himself as a key figure for USA, he never quite produced the defining MLC innings that would force you to take notice.
That changed on opening night of Season 4. No invitation was required this time. No war cry. With Tim Seifert going all guns blazing on the other end, Jahangir emerged from the second fiddle to wrestle the spotlight on him. Up until the 14th over, Mohammad Mohsin who had largely escaped the carnage, conceding just 21 runs from his first three overs, found himself caught in the Jahangir storm.The 33-year-old launched four successive deliveries into the stands, setting the tone with a one-handed six that sailed a long way beyond the boundary. Over the next three balls, Jahangir turbocharged the mood of the evening. A venue that had lacked some opening-night buzz suddenly crackled with energy. Television cameras repeatedly cut to teammates springing from their seats in astonishment.
And perhaps that is the enduring appeal of players like Jahangir. The numbers do not always tell the whole story. There is that charisma and bull like self belief that compels people to buy into their potential. After all, it is not every day that a player whose highest score across 19 MLC innings was just 43 lands an opportunity in a foreign franchise league. Yet the Delhi Capitals, co-owners of the Seattle Orcas, saw something beyond the scorecard and drafted Jahangir for their Dubai Capitals side in the ILT20. The punt paid off. Jahangir produced a string of electrifying knocks, including a blistering 99 against Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, and finished the tournament among its six leading run-scorers.