Rajasthan Royals made me feel special: K Gowtham

Rajasthan Royals' X-factor in this past season's IPL, Krishnappa Gowtham has made rapid strides in the last few years, especially since making his way into the Karnataka Ranji Trophy team.

One of the most sought-after all-rounders in the domestic circuit at the moment, Gowtham was acquired by the Mysuru Warriors for this edition of the Karnataka Premier League.

While his participation in the league is doubted, owing to his Duleep Trophy commitments, Gowtham spoke about how his KPL franchise is a 'special' one.

"The Mumbai Indians franchise gave us everything that we wanted, on the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals is like a family and they made me feel very comfortable and special. But the Mysuru Warriors is a special team just like a family where I always wanted to be," he said while speaking to the KPL team.

Gowtham, who made his T20 debut in 2011, and first-class debut the very next year, gave an interesting insight into how he started playing the game.

"In my childhood, I was very fascinated by the cricket kit and I always wanted to put them on, so that’s how it started. I was part of the Karnataka Ranji team in 2012 and after that, I didn’t play cricket for quite some time. I made a good comeback a couple of years back and have had good performances since then. This earned me a place in the IPL as well".

Known to be someone who wears his heart on his sleeve when he's on the ground, Gowtham conceded that he doesn't believe in 'keeping anything inside'.

"I’m a person who expresses his emotions, I don’t want to keep anything inside so I put it out then and there. I believe that telling people about what to do is better than telling them about the struggles that you have faced".

Bought for 31 times his base price in the IPL auctions this year, Gowtham repaid the faith bestowed on him by the Rajasthan Royals franchise, picking up 11 wickets from 15 games and scoring runs at a jaw-dropping strike-rate of 196 in his debut season.

He may be 29, but there's still a long way to go for Gowtham, who has already broken into the India A team and is making a strong case for selection to the national team.

"My suggestion for everyone is not to take too much stress, just focus on what you love and I think that would bring success to you," he added, highlighting how he likes to keep things simple and focus on the small things in life.