Until three years ago,Abhimanyu Mithun was a struggling athlete,forced into track and field by his father. After being way off pace in running and falling short of the distance in discuss throw after numerous attempts,Mithun,then 17,finally got the go ahead to do what he always wanted to roll his arm over on the cricket field. And neither he nor his father had to regret the decision. In his debut Ranji season,the 20-year-old Karnataka fast bowler has already picked 41 wickets second only to fellow pacer R Vinay Kumar (43) and has been instrumental in his teams journey to the final. My father always wanted me to concentrate on athletics but I enjoyed playing cricket. I used to play a lot of tennis-ball cricket and used to extract good pace. My friends always advised me to try my luck with the leather ball, said Mithun,who took three wickets on Day One in the final against Mumbai. Having impressed the junior selectors with his performance for the YMCA club in Bangalore,he made the grade to the states under-19 and under-22 sides,where he took 26 and 38 wickets in two seasons,respectively. Mithun then justified his selection to the Ranji team with 11 wickets on debut against Uttar Pradesh this season. When I was picked I was a bit nervous. In the first three overs against UP,I was really under tremendous pressure. Once I started to beat the batsman and took a wicket in my fourth over,things became normal, he said. His tally swelling with every game,Mithun got rich praise,and a few valuable tips from the likes of Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath. Srinath told me how to bowl on different kind of wickets. His tips have been very helpful, he said. Meanwhile,Karantaka skipper Robin Uthappa hopes Mithun will keep improving. He is a genuine fast bowler and we want him to carry on as the same. I hope he carries himself properly and takes care of his body while keeping his focus on his bowling, said Uthappa. Despite the success,Mithun knows the coming season will be more difficult. If you see,in last three seasons,new pacers have come and gotten wickets but as they go into the second season,teams start reading them better. I dont want this to happen to me. I want to improve myself in many aspects.
