Although he took the prized wicket of South African AB de Villiers, Cariappa bowled only two overs on Saturday conceding 28 runs.
There had been a lot of hype surrounding the Bengaluru off-spinner ever since the Knights bought him for Rs 2.4 crore despite the fact that he is yet to feature in a first-class or List A game.
With only a handful of matches in the Karnataka Premier League, the nervous-looking 20-year-old took his first step in the big world of IPL bowling to none other than the big-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle.
Handing out a harsh welcome to the youngster, the Jamaican hit a huge six off his second ball and with Cariappa’s first over accounting for 12 runs, Gambhir was forced to take him out of the attack.
Returning to the attack after four overs, Cariappa this time ran into the dangerous AB de Villiers. Losing no time, the dasher flogged him for two fours and a huge six.
The young spinner, though, had the last laugh getting the South African out, beating him with change of pace, as wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa took off the bails in no time to hand the bowler his first IPL wicket.
Cariappa conceded 28 runs, including three fours and two sixes, off his two overs, and skipper Gautam Gambhir did not bring him back into the attack again.
Later, at the post-match conference, Knights all-rounder Yusuf Pathan sought to defend playing Cariappa in place of pacer Umesh Yadav.
“It was a decision by the captain and the team think-tank made in the interest of the team. But it did not work. Had it clicked, everybody would have praised the decision,” said Pathan.
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