In a remarkable tale of modern cricket discovery, a 20-year-old leg-spinner from Ajmer, Izaz Sawaria, catapulted from posting bowling videos on Instagram to finding his name in the coveted player pool for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. While no franchise ultimately picked him, his journey from social media reels to the auction list highlights a new pathway for aspiring cricketers.
The Instagram Strategy That Opened Doors
Izaz Sawaria, the son of an Indian Air Force officer, began his unusual journey about ten months ago. He started recording and uploading clips of his net sessions on Instagram, using just his phone. Initially focused on batting, a friend suggested he switch to showcasing his leg-spin bowling. He took the advice and began posting a regular stream of videos featuring his leg-breaks, variations, and bowling experiments, without obsessing over views or engagement.
"I just felt I should put them (reels) out there. You never know what might happen in the future," Sawaria told The Indian Express. This simple philosophy soon yielded extraordinary results. His follower count grew to around 38,200, but more importantly, his talent began catching the eyes of international stars.
Validation from Cricket Stars and an IPL Trial
The turning point came when England's renowned leg-spinner, Adil Rashid, commented on one of his videos. "When someone like him comments, you feel you have something in you," Sawaria remarked. This endorsement changed how people around him perceived his cricket, making them take his efforts more seriously.
Rashid went on to comment on nearly 15-20 of his reels. Soon, other international spinners like South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi also noticed his work. More recently, Sawaria even received a message from former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
The impact soon transcended social media. Former India spinner and then Punjab Kings bowling coach, Sunil Joshi, saw one of his reels and asked for his contact details. This led to a pivotal moment: a trial call-up from the Punjab Kings franchise. Sawaria performed well at the trials, bowling freely and impressing the scouts, which resulted in his name being entered into the IPL auction pool.
Handling Disappointment and Looking Ahead
During the auction, Sawaria waited through the second round, hoping his name would be called. When it wasn't, he chose not to dwell on the disappointment. The very next day, he was back on the ground playing a match. He maintains a positive outlook, viewing his auction listing itself as a significant achievement.
"I thought I'll start again. I'll give myself a restart. I haven't represented a state yet. So for me, it was still an achievement that my name was in the IPL auction. I'm taking it in a positive way," said the cricketer, who plays district cricket for Ajmer but hasn't yet played at the state level for Rajasthan.
Behind the scenes, his training routine remains disciplined. He bowls to batters in the nets at Jaipur's Sanskar Cricket Academy, where coach Surendra Singh Rathore has been instrumental in his development for the past three years. The reels are shot only after these rigorous net sessions.
For now, Izaz Sawaria's plan is straightforward: keep working, keep bowling, and keep posting. His story is a testament to how passion, coupled with the strategic use of social media, can create unexpected opportunities in the digital age of cricket.
