I was surprised to be picked by RCB, says Rutherford

– playing for West Indies on his radar, but will return this year to play First-Class cricket

By Brandon Corlette

Guyana and West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford will rub shoulders with the likes of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) dressing room in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that is set to begin in April 2022.
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Rutherford spoke about his hopes of playing for West Indies again and his eagerness to return home and play First-Class cricket this year. He also reflected on his 2021 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, where he scored heavy runs.

The 23-year-old Rutherford was signed by RCB for US$133,000. He said he was excited to be selected, but he was also surprised. “First of all, I thank God for the opportunity. And yes, it is always good going to the IPL, one of the biggest leagues in the world, so for me it is a special feeling. I am very happy, excited to go to a new team. Looking forward to it, give my best, and hopefully my best can make a difference for the team as well.

“When the IPL auction was going on, I had cricket, we were playing against Karachi Kings, so I was not really looking at it. But I was not expecting anything. I was surprised to be picked. After the game against Karachi, our physio was like, ‘you know you have been picked for IPL’. I was so excited, I started smiling, so I think this is the year that it is a good opportunity for me, and as I said, I am excited for it,” Rutherford said.
When asked about sharing a dressing room with great players like Kohli and du Plessis, Rutherford said he had never dreamt of that. The man from Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) said he was looking forward to learning a lot from these experienced players on and off the field.
“I never thought about being in a team with Virat Kohli to be honest. He is someone that I admire – well, everyone do – but he is someone I pay close attention to. Even to Faf, I played against him, so for me going to the IPL, I already planned and put in my notebook that there is a lot to learn from those two guys, in batting, fielding, and in everything in terms of cricket; and even on and off the field. For me, it is going to be a big opportunity to even come back as a better player,” Rutherford explained.
Furthermore, the man, who played six T20 International (T20I) matches for West Indies and last played First-Class cricket in March 2019, is eager to return in the maroon colours, but before that, he is willing to play First-Class cricket again.
“I spoke to (Ramnaresh) Sarwan a few days ago – I am keen to come back and play First-Class cricket, so I spoke to him. I planned some time to go home and work with him. I told him I want to work on my batting, because it has been like three years I have not played First-Class cricket, so I have been considering it. Sometime this year, I will be back home to focus on First-Class cricket, get back my batting even better, so it is something I am looking forward to, so from First Class, I can play for West Indies, so I need to come back home and start from the roots again, so it is something I am looking forward to, and definitely will start from this year,” he added.
Rutherford, who is currently in Pakistan playing the Pakistan Super League (PSL), said playing in this tournament was always great, and he would be using this tournament to be match-ready for the upcoming IPL. Retained by Peshawar Zalmi, Rutherford lit up the PSL with an unbeaten 70 from 46 balls.
“It is going good so far, we have three more games, we played seven. I have not batted much, but the little I have, it has been good, and it is always good to be at PSL. Quality bowlers, quality in everything, so I think PSL has been good so far for me, and I am looking forward to do my best. It is more cricket leading up to the IPL, so I am very keen to give it my best and finish the tournament well,” Rutherford noted.
After recording only 39 runs in seven innings in the 2020 Hero CPL while playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Rutherford rebounded in the 2021 season with 262 runs at an average of 37 with three fifties under his belt. Reflecting on that dream run, Rutherford credited his St Kitts and Nevis Patriots skipper, Dwayne Bravo.
“Leading up to CPL, I was keen on doing well, so I was training two times a day. I took a personal trainer, because the year before was one of my worst years, so going into CPL last year I had a point to prove. Even from day one, our new skipper Bravo saw me, and … was like ‘listen: you want to bat anywhere up the order, you tell me’. I told him yes, and he put [me] to bat at four, and I think that is where it all started. He backed me, he said ‘listen, you are going to play all the games, just go, give it your best’, and I think that is what take me through, that gave me that freedom, that confidence, and I must compliment him for believing in me and giving me that opportunity,” the left-hander revealed.
Having last played for West Indies in January 2020, Rutherford has the luxury of time on his hands, and certainly, he will return to the men in maroon, given he puts in the hard yards.