Delhi pacer hopes his 10-wicket haul against Saurashtra will help further his career

Parvinder Awana is simplicity personified in a complex cricketing world. The 22-year old prefers not to see the wicket before a match, allows his skipper to choose his bowling end and doesn’t think much when he’s bowling, except following one self-made rule — keep hitting a particular length.

“When you look at the wicket, you tend to develop notions about it. I just like to bowl in a rhythm, with full force all the time and get wickets. Yes, I am a bit superstitious of bowling from the same end throughout a match because I feel cosy and comfortable on the same run-up,” he says, after bowling 43 overs — from the same end, both with the old and the new ball.

Awana admits his match-winning effort in Delhi’s crucial away tie against Saurashtra could be his turning point. “This ten-wicket haul helped my team get out of a difficult situation and may get me into the North zone team. There have been two distinct landmarks in my cricketing career so far — I got into the team because of the speedster contest where I was a finalist, then my hat-trick helped me get another game last season. Hopefully, this performance against Saurashtra would take me further,” he says.

Coming from a small village Harrolla near Noida, Awana admits he was anxious about his performance this time around. “I called up home and told them I was slightly tense, because I knew I was bowling well but not getting wickets. ‘Just bowl and leave the rest to God,’ they told me. I did just that,” he says.

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