The Indian Premier League (IPL) has yet again witnessed the rise of a new star player and its none other than Ashwani Kumar. The 23-year old young pacer who crushed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and helped Mumbai Indians score a dashing victory. He took an incredible 4-wicket haul on his IPL debut and restricted KKR merely at a score of 116 in 17 overs.
Ashwani Kumar’s Father Reveals His Struggle
“Rain or hot sun, Ashwani would never hesitate to go to PCA at Mohali or later at the new stadium at Mullanpur. Sometimes, he would cycle to PCA academy or take lifts or would go in shared autos,” Indian Express quoted Harkesh Kumar as saying.
Going For Training At 5 Am Daily
“I remember he would take ₹30 from me for the fare, and when he was picked up for ₹30 lakh by Mumbai Indians in the mega auction, I knew his worth was every penny. After each wicket today, I would think about those days when he would return at 10 PM after his training and again wake up the next day at 5 AM to head hack,” he added.
Reaching School Early To Play Cricket
“Ashwani would tell me and other youth of the village to reach early in the morning at the school ground no matter what and most of us would bat against him at the school ground,” Ashwani’s elder brother Shiv Rana told Indian Express.
Playing For Local Teams
“Sometimes, he would go to other cricket grounds near the village to play for local teams and would again call us in the evening to play. He would bowl pace wearing normal canvas shoes and friends like Chahat Rana, who is now in Italy, and others would support him with cricket balls and spikes. His passion was to play cricket and make us proud, and today he has done that for all of us,” he added.
VRV Singh Identified His Talent
“VRV Singh spotted his pace mind and worked on making him understand the technicalities of fast bowling. While Harwinder Singh oversees the overall programme, VRV would help Ashwani mould his bowling action and things like utilising the pace off the pitch,” said PCA secretary Dilsher Khanna said to Indian Express
VRV Singh Helped Ashwani Through
“VRV Singh spotted his pace mind and worked on making him understand the technicalities of fast bowling. While Harwinder Singh oversees the overall programme, VRV would help Ashwani mould his bowling action and things like utilising the pace off the pitch,” said Khanna.
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Ashwani Kumar Wants To Be Like Jasprit Bumrah
“He attended trials for IPL sides, but he always wanted to be like Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc. His friends would pool money to get him cricket balls, and when he was picked up by Mumbai Indians for ₹30 lakh, the first thing he did was to get cricket kits and balls distributed in the academies near our village,” Shiv said.
Ashwani Kumar gave trials for Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals but he could not make the cut. It was only Mumbai Indians who recognized his talent and gave him a chance to shine.
