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NEW DELHI: “Mujhe Bihar ka Jaddu kehte hain [They call me Bihar’s Ravindra Jadeja],” the 18-year-old Suman Kumar said with a big smile while speaking to TimesofIndia.com. The left-arm spinner from Samastipur, Bihar, created history by claiming 10 wickets in an innings during the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy match against Rajasthan. This marked the first time a bowler has taken all 10 wickets in an innings in the tournament’s history.
This is the second instance in the ongoing Indian domestic season where a bowler has achieved this rare feat. Earlier, Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj took 10 wickets in a Ranji Trophy match against Kerala.
After Bihar piled up a massive 467 all out in their first innings, thanks to Dipesh Gupta (183 not out) and Prithvi Raj (128), on a batting-friendly track, Suman stole the spotlight with his astonishing performance.
“It was a batting pitch and a flat wicket. Bowlers were expected to struggle on this track. After we were put in to bat, we put 467 on the board. Rajasthan is a strong team, but their batters struggled from the start,” Suman told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“Ahead of the match, players were saying Rajasthan batters would send me to the cleaners. I took that challenge seriously (laughs). When I bagged five wickets, my teammates and captain came to me and said, ‘Today is your day, so go ahead.’ I bowled 33 overs in the innings and managed to take another five wickets too. I was so happy. My teammates ran towards me and hugged me,” an elated Suman shared.
“When I tried to spin, I failed. But I immediately switched to arm balls, and that gave me a wicket. That was a dream delivery. When my plans started working, I stuck to them and continued with the same approach. Rajasthan players were scared, went into defensive mode and gave their wickets away. In fact, the match referee also praised me and said it was a tough wicket to bowl on,” he added.
When Rajasthan came to bat, Suman, who takes inspiration from India’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, initially aimed for a five-for but went on to claim all 10 wickets in the innings.
Suman, a left-arm spinner and right-handed batter, has not yet met his idol Jadeja but has a collection of videos of Jadeja’s match-winning spells, from which he learns.
‘MEETING JADEJA IS MY DREAM’
“How to bowl on flat wickets is something I have learned from Ravindra Jadeja. I have never met him, but it is my dream to meet my childhood hero. I follow him a lot and learn the tricks by watching his bowlingn videos. I also follow a strict fitness regime. I love to hit the ball the way Jadeja does. Anukul Roy has also played a big role in my career. He is a left-arm spinner too, and he has taught me a lot, especially how to bowl on tracks that don’t offer turn, how to use different variations and how to bowl wicket to wicket,” Suman explained.
“I have many questions to ask Jadeja. The top most would be how he bowls on flat tracks, how he judges a batter and how he bamboozles them. My ultimate aim is to play for India, become an all-rounder and be an asset like Jadeja. I want to make my own identity,” he added.
Suman’s state-mate, the 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, recently bagged an IPL contract with the Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.10 crore.
However, Suman has his sights set on a bigger goal: playing for India.
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