Mumbai Indians’ Ashwani Kumar celebrates after taking the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Ajinkya Rahane | AFP
To become the first Indian ever to take four wickets on IPL debut is no mean task but that’s exactly what Ashwani Kumar did on a heady evening at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Handed a debut at the raucous Wankhede Stadium, the 23-year-old Ashwani Kumar from Punjab just polished a banana prior to the high-pressure game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Little did the left-arm seamer realised what was about to unfold was going to be stuff of IPL legend.
With his first delivery in the world’s biggest cricket league, Ashwani announced himself at the global stage uprooting KKR skipper and Mumbaikar Ajinkya Rahane’s stumps.
As much as the delivery may have stunned Rahane, the Wankhede was up on its feet and brimming with intoxicating energy in a sea of MI blue to celebrate Ashwani’s astonishing entry in the league.
The wickets of Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey and Andre Russell were further proof of the goldmine Mumbai Indians had unearthed as he stamped his name on the grandest of stages.
The deliveries to Pandey and Russell were especially significant considering how he beat two highly experienced batters who can shatter the confidence of a debutant with their big-hitting prowess.
Knocking off Pandey’s leg stump on a back of a length delivery and castling Russell’s middle stump were classic fast bowling on display from a young debutant who was anything but overawed by the magnitude of the occasion.
Ashwani had played only four senior T20 matches prior to his IPL debut which is in addition to two Ranji Trophy matches and four List A games.
The four-wicket haul was also the first time ever in a match for him with his previous best being 3/37 in List A cricket and 1/19 in T20 cricket.
The Punjab lad was excited after his performance and thanked skipper Hardik Pandya for his timely support and encouragement.
“It is a very good feeling. I hadn’t thought that I’ll do so well. Hardik bhai told me, ‘you’re from Punjab and Punjabis are fearless, so just scare the opponents and enjoy yourself’,” he added.
He was thrilled with getting the dangerous Andre Russell’s wicket and explained the scenario.
“Manish Pandey had hit me for a four already. Hardik bhai told me to bowl at the body for him. My favourite wicket was Andre Russell’s because he is a very big player. Hardik bhai told me don’t be afraid, so I just wanted to bowl to my plans.”
Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey was all praise for the debutant’s dream performance.
“To see someone coming in, one first game, under pressure, happy for him. He worked on his strengths and focused on his strengths and that gave him results. It’s not about performance, it’s about going and enjoying what you do best,” Mhambrey said.
Mhambrey also explained the rationale behind Ashwani’s selection, which was one of the three changes MI had made for the KKR game.
“Left arm seamer who swings the ball and has got high pace, ticks a lot of boxes for us. Wankhede, we always knew, is a wicket that has a lot of bounce compared to others. He’s the kind of guy who swings the ball and high pace as well, so we felt it was the right surface for him to pay,” he added.
