The Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped quite a few cricket dreams to become a reality. In 2017, left-arm pacer T Natarajan, plucked from the tennis-ball game in Chinnappampatti village near Salem, Tamil Nadu via the state’s T20 league, was bought by then Kings XI Punjab for ₹3 crore. Impressing with his left-arm pace, Natarajan made his India debut in all three formats on the memorable Australia tour of 2020-21.
Ramesh Kumar
Ramesh Kumar can well script a sequel to that story. Nicknamed ‘Narine Jalalabadiya’, a nod to Punjab’s Jalalabad town and Caribbean mystery spinner Sunil Narine as he made rapid strides in tennis-ball cricket, Kumar was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders at the weekend’s IPL auction for a base price of ₹20 lakh.
On Monday, Manga Ram, a cobbler, and his wife Narmo Devi, who sells household goods going from village to village, put aside their daily routines. They had been busy celebrating their son realising his IPL dream, receiving relatives, well-wishers and media persons at home with sweets.
The IPL ecosystem has time and again shown the knack to unearth some player or other from anonymity. It was no different with Ramesh. When his name came up for bidding, hardly anyone other than KKR’s think-tank knew his background.
Coming from a humble background, Kumar grew up playing gully cricket, and when someone told him he could earn money if he played in a tennis-ball tournament, the all-rounder was up for the challenge. There was no looking back. Kumar became a poster boy of tennis-ball cricket, travelling across the country for matches. He apparently smashed 50 off 10 deliveries in a local tennis-ball game.
“The best part of playing in these tournaments was I was able to earn money and contribute to my family’s finances. In addition, I started enjoying; I fell in love with cricket. People will place bets on me when I bowled and batted in such matches. Playing leather-ball cricket professionally never crossed my mind until a few years ago,” said Kumar. A left-arm spinner who can hit long sixes impressed KKR when he attended their trials in Mumbai a few months ago. The opening came after Punjab batter Gurkeerat Singh Mann sent videos of Kumar playing to the KKR management.
“I was selected in the Punjab men’s camp for the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last season. There I met Gukeerat paaji. He has a heart of gold. He was impressed with my skills. I asked him if he could help me with an IPL contract. He had played for KKR that season. So, he sent my videos to them. Coach Abhishek Nayyar was impressed with my bowling and batting in the trials. I can’t express my gratitude to Gurkeerat paaji and KKR for choosing me,” said Kumar.
“Ramesh is a fantastic all-rounder,” says Gurkeerat. I saw him during the T20 senior Punjab camp. He was very sharp, an amazing spinner who gets good turn. We played a few matches in the camp and he was in my team. I knew Abhishek bhai, so I told him about Ramesh.
“He is a typical tennis-ball batter. Just goes after the ball and hits huge. He is working hard on his fitness. He will train among the best when with KKR. He hails from a small town and did not have much idea about leather ball cricket. (But) he will go places.”
He began playing seriously only a year ago when he appeared for Kapurthala district in a Punjab inter-district tournament. He had done well in the JP Atray tournament held in Mohali and Chandigarh for Minerva Cricket Academy, bagging 12 wickets in three matches bowling left-arm spin. All those videos encouraged KKR to call him for trials.
Kumar, dubbed a mystery spinner in Punjab cricket circles, now wants to meet KKR’s real deal, and his role model, Sunil Narine when he joins KKR pre-season.
“It will be dream come true for me when I share the dressing room with him. I’ve been following his IPL career for many years. I try to emulate him. God is great. I will be bowling alongside my hero and learn so much,” said Kumar. His other inspiration is Shubman Gill, whose family is also originally from Jalalabad. Gill’s parents moved to Mohali to provide their young son better cricket opportunities.
“I don’t work, I just play cricket. My two brothers are studying. It is my parents who have been toiling all through to take care of the house expenses. They are so thrilled. I hope to give them a good life, and they can come to the stadium to see me play.”
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