Mumbai:From standing in a long selection queue for aspiring batsmen at the iconic Shivaji Park Gymkhana to shining on his IPL debut as a pacer, Mumbai rookie Tushar Deshpande has come a long way.
The 25-year-old bowler held his nerve to help fashion a 13-run victory for Delhi Capitals against Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday night.
"In 2007, I along with three-four boys had gone for selection for BPL loop academy of Shivaji Park Gymkhana from Kalyan. There was a big queue for batsmen, around 40-45 players were lined up and 20-25 batsmen were padded up.
"... And the bowler line had only 15-20 aspirants. It was around 3.30 PM and the selection was till 6-6.30.
"I thought with so many players lined up for batting, I won't get a chance, but at the same time I was not keen to return empty-handed and hence I stood in the bowler's line," Deshpande recalled on Marathi chat show. The speedster, who claimed figures of 2-37 from his four overs on his IPL debut, has also played a part in Mumbai winning its first Vijay Hazare Trophy title in more than a decade.
Continuing about the selection trial, he added, "Till then no one had told me that I bowl quicker than the average boys. The bowler line moved fast, and after my number came, I fortunately got the new ball.
"I marked the run-up and bowled a ball. It was a superb banana out-swing and even kicked after landing. Paddy sir (Padmakar Shivalkar) said: 'well bowled, bowl the same ball again'.