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Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  Ishwar Pandey | The hunger to succeed
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Ishwar Pandey | The hunger to succeed

Ishwar Pandey's selection for the New Zealand tour is not just a tale of a small-town boy making it to the big league, but one of how hard work does pay

Ishwar Pandey. Photo: Kunal Patil/Hindustan TimesPremium
Ishwar Pandey. Photo: Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times

OTHERS :

It’s been close to 16 years since a player from Madhya Pradesh represented India in Test cricket. Two Madhya Pradesh spinners, Narendra Hirwani (who has played 17 Tests) and Rajesh Chauhan (21 Tests), played their last Test match in 1998. Since then, three cricketers from the state have played 25 One Day Internationals (ODIs) between them.

Getting cricketing recognition from Madhya Pradesh is not easy, and more so if you come from a small town like Rewa. Despite all this, the story of Ishwar Pandey’s rise from domestic cricket to the Indian team cannot be described just as “a small-town boy making it big".

“In many ways, Ishwar has come through the ranks. He is a product of the system. He was picked from the various trial matches in Madhya Pradesh. After that he played under-22, first-class, went to the NCA (the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore) and MRF Pace Foundation; then came the stint with the India A team and now finally, the selection for the national team," says former India selector Sanjay Jagdale, who resigned from the post of secretary of The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last year after the Indian Premier League (IPL).

If there is one word that captures the personality of the 24-year-old medium pacer from Rewa, it is the “hunger" to succeed. Every coach who has worked with the tall pacer uses this word to describe his ascent. Former India player Amay Khurasiya, who played an influential role in giving a meaningful direction to Pandey’s career, says: “He was not even in U-22 probable. He should be thankful that Mr Jagdale (the secretary at that time of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association) agreed to have another look at him since the selectors were not convinced initially."

It was Aril Anthony, Pandey’s first coach, who played a decisive role in persuading the player’s father to allow him to take up cricket. “Anthony sir played a great role and I will try my best. I don’t set targets and am not under any pressure. My approach will be the same which has brought me success in the domestic circuit," Pandey said before leaving for the New Zealand tour that starts on Sunday.

On India A’s tour of South Africa last year, Pandey learnt the virtue of being patient. He wasn’t part of the playing eleven in the first three limited-over (50-over) matches on that tour. In the fourth match of that tour, Pandey bowled a noteworthy spell on a batting paradise in Pretoria (Shikhar Dhawan scored a record 248 runs in just 150 balls). South Africa’s chase was equally belligerent.

At the score of 375 for 5 in the 46th over, two crucial blows from Pandey swung the match in India’s favour. He went on to become the most successful bowler in the two-match Test series on that tour with 11 wickets.

“He is good against left-handers. He reversed the old ball in that high-scoring List A game," recalls Abhay Sharma, the assistant coach on that tour.

After a modest beginning in the 2010-11 season (nine wickets in three first-class matches), Pandey grabbed attention in the 2011-12 season, with 25 wickets in six first-class matches. In the next season, he repeated the success of the previous season with a bigger haul (52 wickets in 10 first-class matches). With 34 wickets in 10 first-class matches this season, the pacer seems to have forced selectors to give him a break.

However, the real turning point in Pandey’s career was the Ranji Trophy game between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh in Indore in December 2012.

In that pulsating match, Pandey took six wickets in the first innings and two in the second. Mumbai won the match by seven runs but Pandey won the heart of Zaheer Khan.

“Zaheer was very surprised by his performance. He told chief selector Sandeep Patil, ‘Sandy bhai us bacche ko dekh lo (Sandy check out that youngster)’," recounts Mukesh Sahni, coach of Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy team. According to Sahni, former India captain Kapil Dev saw Pandey bowling for the Rest of India in Mumbai last year and predicted on air that the boy would soon play for the country.

If there is one thing missing from Pandey’s armoury, it is India’s fascination with speed. Pandey bowls in mid-130s kmph. Bowlers with that speed have been successful at the international level but there is a general theory that if a fast bowler bowls in the range of 125-135 kmph he can’t last long.

Good speed is necessary, but there are always exceptions. “He has got rhythm and action. His bowling is tailormade for conditions like South Africa or New Zealand. We should not be obsessed with speed only. That’s one aspect of pace bowling. Swing bowlers also trouble batsmen and get wickets," counters Jagdale.

“He has that spark but needs guidance. He has the mental strength to compete despite coming from a small town. He should be given a long rope. If he is given proper chances, he will not vanish like me," argues Khurasiya, who played 12 ODIs for India.

Pandey has impressed everyone with his ability to bowl in “good areas" consistently. He could be an ideal third seamer who can bowl at the same line and length for the entire day. Pandey, who idolizes former Australian great Glenn McGrath, says: “MRF mein kaafi sikha McGrath sir se. IPL mein (Allan) Donaldji ke saath do mahine kaafi kuch sikha (I learnt a lot from McGrath in MRF and a great deal from Donald too during the IPL)."

When M.S. Dhoni won his first trophy (the International Cricket Council Twenty20 World Cup) as India captain in South Africa in 2007, Pandey was one among the millions of fans who cheered from his house. It will be a dream come true for him to share the dressing room with the greatest poster boy of Indian cricket from a small town.

“I have met Dhoni only once and that too during the IPL. Who doesn’t like him? It will be a great experience to play under his captaincy. I will try to learn as much as I can from Dhoni and Zaheer," says Pandey.

If Pandey plays either in the Auckland or Wellington Tests in New Zealand, he will fulfil his cricketing desire. Madhya Pradesh’s long wait for a Test bowler will also be over.

Vimal Kumar is IBN7’s deputy sports editor and the author of Sachin: Cricketer of the Century.

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Published: 15 Jan 2014, 08:18 PM IST
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