MAJOR LEAGUE

The Indian Premier League was not all about stars and glamour. As the final match of this season is played tonight, The Sunday Express profiles the youngsters who stood up to be counted among men

Ashok Dinda
Teams: Bengal and Kolkata Knight Riders
When Sourav Ganguly asked Ashok Dinda to open the bowling in first match of the IPL in Bangalore, it raised many an eyebrow. But the 24-year-old surprised everyone, clocking over 140 kmph and finishing with an impressive 2-9 off three overs.
The Knight Riders may have fared poorly in the IPL, but the right-arm fast bowler stood tall among the ruins, finishing with nine scalps from 13 matches with an economy rate of 6.66.
Coming from the village of Naichanpur in the backwaters of West Bengal, Dinda’s brisk rise started almost two years ago when Ganguly asked him to open the bowling in the Ranji Trophy opener in Mohali. On a green-top, Dinda ran through the Punjab batting with a five-wicket haul. Ever since, Bengal have relied heavily on Dinda’s ability to hit the deck. He may not have featured among the top wicket-takers in the Ranji season, but the chirpy Dinda has earned the tag of Bengal’s best fast bowler, leaving the more popular Ranadeb Bose behind.
“What makes Dinda special is his ability to generate real pace. In modern day cricket, speed is crucial, and that’s an important weapon he already possesses. For those of us who have seen him through this climb, the good showing in the IPL is no surprise,” says former national selector Sambaran Banerjee. “But he has to master two things — generating movement and consistency in longer versions of the game.”
Ricky Ponting and coach John Buchanan had plenty of praise for Dinda during the IPL campaign. “Among the new bowlers in the Kolkata team, Dinda was a special find, he surprised us all with his pace and we relied on him through the IPL tournament,” said Buchanan.
— Nadim Siraj

Pragyan Ojha
Teams: Hyderabad and Deccan Chargers
For a young boy who always wanted to be a cricketer, Hyderabad’s Bhavans School — where he had come from Orissa to study — gave Pragyan Ojha just the fillip he needed. “I also played Cricket in Orissa, but in Hyderabad, when I started doing well for my school, I took to the game seriously,” says Ojha, the son of a plant manager in one of the factories of Orissa State Cooperative Producers Federation.
The 21-year old credits his success to his parents. “Though I come from a middle-class family, they always supported me. That helped me pursue my game freely.”
His consistent performances in local tournaments got him a place in the Hyderabad junior team. Ojha’s under-19 coach for Hyderabad, Yuvraj Singh, remembers Pragyan as a hungry, hard-working player who always gave his 100 per cent. “He was with me for two years and the passion for the game was always visible in his eyes. He has been taking bagful of wickets since the junior circuit. If you include all forms of the game, you’ll find that he’s been taking at least 50 wickets each season for the last five years. He’s not afraid to take his chances, and he’s always prepared to flight the ball,” said Singh, who is now one of the selectors for Hyderabad.
The figures speak volumes about the left-arm spinner’s consistency: 121 wickets from 30 first-class matches, 39 from 30 List A games. But it took 11 wickets from 13 IPL matches for the Deccan Chargers, at an economy rate of 7.67, to finally realise his dream of winning an India cap.
“It’s a dream to play for India. The selectors have shown faith in me, now it’s my turn to deliver,” says Ojha.
— Swarup Kar Purkayastha

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