Wonder catch puts Nagar in focus

Sachin Tendulkar had gotten off the blocks in style,with an array of boundaries — to the covers,mid-on,backward point and mid-wicket fences — and fellow opener Sanath Jayasuriya was looking to do the same. It was the fourth over of the Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils game and the Sri Lankan — eight runs from nine balls with one boundary — decided to get into character and give his shoulders a working out.

Compatriot Farveez Maharoof’s in-the-slot delivery lit up Jayasuriya’s eyes and he swung through the line over long-off. The ball didn’t come off the bat as he expected,but had just about enough in it to clear mid-off. Out of position,Yogesh Nagar wobbled a couple of steps backwards,before timing his leap to perfection and latched onto what is sure to be one of the greatest catches the Indian Premier League has seen,with his right hand stuck behind his line of vision. Jayasuriya and 40,000 viewers watched in awe as the jaw-dropping clutch was replayed on the big screen.

Without even being in the playing XI,Nagar had more than left his mark on the tournament. Brought on as a substitute fielder after Daredevils skipper Gautam Gambhir limped off with a pulled hamstring,Nagar later went onto feature in Tendulkar’s dismissal — who was blazing away at 63 from 31 balls — again grasping the ball with his outstretched hands with a full length dive,but not as spectacular as the first one.

Rough domestic season

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Before the catch,the 2009-10 season for Nagar had been a tormenting one. Called for chucking in Delhi’s opening Ranji Trophy game against Baroda,the off-spinner faded away into the background after he was forced to undergo corrective measures at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.

Nagar did however feature in the side for a few more games,where he lost the all-rounder tag as he played purely as a batsman. After a rough season in the domestic front,the 20-year old cricketer had finally made the headlines for the right reasons.