MUMBAI: IPL debutant Vignesh Puthur shines with 3 wickets for MI against CSK, showcasing hidden talent and thrilling fans in a star-studded match.
MUMBAI: The biggest excitement in IPL is how the league helps unearth hidden talent and provides the platform to showcase their skills against the best players in the world. As much it was an attraction because of the stars in it, Sunday’s Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians blockbuster clash will be remembered for MI’s rookie wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur grabbing the chance to make his mark.
Wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur (centre) poses with his club teammates after being bought by Mumbai Indians in the IPL players auction. (HT Photo)
Chinaman bowlers are a rare commodity and Vignesh has got the fans excited by taking three wickets (3/32) on IPL debut. It was another example of the charm of IPL – son of an autorickshaw driver holding centre-stage before a packed Chepauk amidst the star cast of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.
Due to his son’s impressive start, Vignesh’s father Sunil Kumar had to stay away from work on Monday to deal with the media frenzy at home at his village in Perinthalmanna, near Mallapuram in northern Kerala. “I have taken leave, so many people are at home,” Sunil said over the phone, speaking through an interpreter. “I will take two days holiday, will be back on duty (to drive his auto),” says Sunil.
It is not easy to get noticed in a cricket-crazy country like India. Vignesh’s advantage is that he is the practitioner of the rare art of chinaman bowling (left-arm wrist spin). For developing that skill, he owes it to Shareef, who himself couldn’t make it as a cricketer. “I wanted to become a leg-spinner, but couldn’t become one. When I saw Vignesh playing with a tennis ball on the street, I could see that he had the talent for it (bowling wrist spin). He bats right-handed. It is a rare and effective combination, like Brad Hogg (ex-Australia wrist spinner). I encouraged him to focus on it,” says Shareef. “I couldn’t watch Sunday’s IPL match as I was offering namaz, but I am very happy that it has clicked for him.”
In the most nerve-wracking atmosphere at the heaving MA Chidambaram Stadium, with his team MI down in the dumps defending a below par 155, the 24-year-old Vignesh ended the dazzling innings of Ruturaj Gaikwad before picking up the wickets of Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda, both fine players of spin.
Vignesh owes a lot to the backing of his club chief, Dr Arjun Haridas and coach Sabin Pasha, a BCCI Level One certificate holder. “Vignesh made a video call at 2am (after Sunday’s game). He is a bit of an anxious character. The first question he asked me was, did we see the anxiety on his face? I said: “you were absolutely fine”, but his coach Pasha joked that the smile was missing from his face.”
“He was absolutely great, was very calm and composed. That was possible only because of the support he got from MI’s senior players Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma.”
Jolly Rovers Club people can’t forget the IPL auction held last November when Vignesh was bought for ₹30 lakh in the auction held at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “We knew MI were interested in Vignesh, but his name came on the second day, at 11 pm – it was the second last name and Mumbai had only ₹50 lakh left in their purse and he was bought for ₹30 lakh. To capture that moment, we went to his house, picked him up and arranged for cake-cutting that night itself.”
Pasha is confident the bright performance won’t be a flash in the pan. “Vicky (his nickname) is bowling slower and focusing more on the spin of the ball, that is difference. He has a lot of varieties, googly, flipper. The batters watch out for his googly.”
