Namma Shivamogga's Jonathan Rongsen has no extra pressure of big price tag

Namma Shivamogga have grabbed the services of Jonathan Rongsen for Rs 5.1 lakh in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) auction, making him the costliest Pool B player. The price tag comes as no surprise because Jonathan has been a recognized name in the first-class circuit for a while, appearing for Karnataka and Railways.

Jonathan emphasized that the experience of playing for two top teams has served him well and would benefit him greatly during the upcoming KPL. He also mentioned that his prime focus during the off-season would be improvising on his fitness because of a busy domestic season ahead.

“It will help a lot. I’ve also played for Karnataka in the one-dayers and the T20s. Then I went on to play first-class cricket for Railways. So, I’ve played in two different places, two different teams. It has toughened me up, because it’s so different. I had to adjust, in terms of facilities and the culture. I had to adjust my mental aspects and it made me tougher, more adaptable to different situations. It helped me handle pressure better,” Jonathan told mykl.com.

“As professionals, we train and keep ourselves fit because it’s required during the season. We can’t do fitness during the season, there is no time for that. So that’s what I mainly concentrated on. I did a lot of running. I spent a lot of time in the gym. I love playing football as well, so I played it regularly,” he added.

No additional pressure

Despite having a big price tag, he made it clear that there is no extra pressure on him. “I never expected that, honestly. I was expecting to be somewhere in the top-half, but I was surprised I became the costliest player in Pool B. It gave me more confidence to deliver. Knowing that a lot of teams wanted me, it shows the value of player I am. So, there is absolutely no pressure. There is already pressure while you’re on the field,” said the 30-year-old.

Talking about Shivamogga’s chances in the league that is set to begin on September 1 he said: “We’ve a very well-balanced and experienced team. If you see the names, we don’t have an India player or anything like that. But we have a pretty good team in terms of balance. In cricket, anything can happen.”