New Delhi, July 23: Hopping onto Delhi’s short-distance trains to travel from a remote Palwal village to various cricket grounds across the Capital, Rajinder Madan has been silently plying his tricks for more than three decades.

Now 40 years old, he had reconciled to leading a life of obscurity — being a “different” bowler only evokes an indifferent response from the orthodox Indian cricket hierarchy — but with Ajantha Mendis making heads turn, Madan is feeling the pinch all over again.

Once called Jaadugar (magician) by his colleagues, Madan has all the deliveries in Mendis’s arsenal, and even a stock ball — the leg-break. He can bowl off-breaks, flippers, googlies, top-spinners, zooters and doosras, and can camouflage them behind slight changes in action. “When I saw Mendis, I was in tears. He bowls just like me, and the commentators were hailing him as refreshing talent. But when Kapil paaji and Navjot Sidhu had openly called to fast-track me into the national scene because I was a different bowler, it wasn’t welcomed. I never got a proper opportunity to showcase my skills,” he says.

Madan’s ‘India cap’

Madan’s first-class career for Haryana ended after just four matches, in which he picked five wickets at an economy rate of 2.6. Though he has never represented India at any level, he has an India cap presented to him by a Test cricketer who was impressed with Madan’s bowling. He still carries the cap with him all the time. Recently, Madan wanted to join the Indian camp in Bangalore to help the Test team counter Mendis, but he didn’t get permission.

Madan recalls how he had mastered the art. “I used to come to practice at the Nahar Singh Stadium in Faridabad where Sarkar Talwar Sir used to coach. I used to bowl for four hours daily at the nets. I used to bowl leg-breaks to the right-handers, then tried off-breaks to the left-handers and slowly, I started trying out different things. Because I used to bowl for such long hours, I could try everything possible, and I mastered every delivery I tried,” he says.

Working as an assistant officer in a liquor company, Madan now runs his own academy back in Palwal. He still plays active cricket, and only Monday night he walked up to receive a trophy at the DDCA annual sports function after helping his club to a title this season. “I know age is not with me, but I’m still training hard.” Ironically, this Mendis-hype has given him a sense of optimism.

“Maybe I still have a chance of making the ICL or IPL. Maybe my middle-class life can change — maybe cricketers with special skills will be recognised in the future,” he says, packing his kitbag after practice. It’s time to walk on the well-trodden path, back home.