Mahesh Pithiya watched his first cricket match in a paan store in Nagichana, a village which is an hour away from Junagadh, a cricketing backwater. It was Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell Check on the Wankhede Stadium again in 2013.
Throughout this ‘public screening’ of the Check match within the village, Pithiya observed that his bowling motion was just like off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The similarity was a coincidence, Pithiya mentioned as a result of earlier than that day he had by no means seen Ashwin bowl. Again then he was a village-level tennis-ball off-spinner. He caught to his pure motion and practically a decade later it helped him get a giant break — bowling to one of many best batsmen of this period, Steve Smith.
The likeness had caught the eye of the touring Australian Check staff eager to copy a Check match in India really feel throughout apply forward of the four-Check collection that begins on February 9. Pithiya, from a farming household, boarded a flight to Bangalore on Wednesday.
“Steve Smith was the batsman I bowled to essentially the most over the previous two days. The Australian batsmen solely realised I’m just like Ashwin once I began bowling to them throughout apply. Smith was very eager on dealing with me,” Pithiya says in regards to the visiting staff’s apply classes in Alur. Pithiya, nonetheless in awe of the standard of batsmen he bowled to, says he ‘dismissed’ Smith on just a few events.
Pithiya, 21, made his First-Class debut for Baroda in a Ranji Trophy sport towards Uttar Pradesh in December. He wasn’t within the limelight or on the radar of the Australian staff however a throw-down specialist from Baroda forwarded a video of his bowling to Australia’s assistant coach Andre Borovec. “I used to be requested if I knew any good spinners and I ahead the video of Mahesh. The similarity of his motion with Ashwin is there however he’s additionally an excellent spinner,” Pritesh Joshi, the throw-down specialist, mentioned.
Pithiya, 21, made his First-Class debut for Baroda in a Ranji Trophy sport towards Uttar Pradesh in December. (Categorical picture)
The sudden highlight, which adopted a write-up by Cricbuzz in regards to the ‘Ashwin impersonator’, has given Pithiya his first brush with fame. He says he has given half a dozen interviews, together with to the official broadcaster of the four-Check collection. Cricket Australia’s official web site had a write in regards to the Ashwin duplicate.
Until Friday night, the second day of apply in Alur, Pithiya couldn’t discover time to have a dialog together with his people again house — his father Viran, mom Maniben and brother Dinesh.
Pithiya mentioned he’s pinching himself after getting the chance to remain in the identical staff resort because the Australians, journey of their staff bus and bowl to Check batsmen from the No.1 staff on the earth.
“Junagadh is just not recognized to supply cricketers, so it goes with out saying that avenues hardly exist for a younger participant who desires to make it massive. There may be loads of tennis ball cricket,” Pithiya mentioned.
He adopted within the footsteps of his tennis-cricket-crazy brother Dinesh. The boys performed within the village however had been on the lookout for a chance to improve their expertise. Pithiya heard about two boys from a close-by village who had made it to a cricket hostel in Porbandar. His brother inspired him to go for trials — first in Junagadh after which Porbandar.
The Porbandar stint lasted nearly six months and Pithiya felt he wasn’t progressing. “A coach known as NK Sharma had come to the hostel on deputation. He suggested me to maneuver to Baroda. Good, I listened to him. I performed for Baroda’s Underneath-19 staff and likewise represented them in Ranji Trophy this 12 months,” Pithiya mentioned.
The Australians have began calling him ‘Ashwin’ however they aren’t the primary as a result of the similarity in supply stride and the lead-up had been observed by different groups previously. The carrom ball continues to be a piece in progress, Pithiya mentioned. “I’ve an arm ball and a backspin supply. I’m engaged on just a few variations,” Pithiya added.
Pithiya is scheduled to fly again house on Sunday by which period the Australians shall be packing their baggage and heading to Nagpur, the venue for the primary Check match. “Being requested to bowl towards the Australians was an surprising alternative. I’ll acquire from it however I do know I’ve a protracted strategy to go in my cricket profession,” Pithiya mentioned.
When he’s house, even after he moved to Baroda to play cricket, Pithiya helps his dad and mom by chipping in on the farm. “Groundnuts and wheat are what we develop. I work on the farm even now. One shouldn’t lose contact with one’s roots.”