From training in canvas shoes to repeating IPL heroics, Mumbai Indians’ pacer Ashwani Kumar restarts once again

“I was thinking of doing big in this match too. My thought was whatever match I will get, I will do better. Last year also, I did the same and this year too I have done the same. It feels good,” Kumar said post the match while speaking with commentator Ravi Shastri.

Last season, Kumar had hogged limelight with his four wickets in his maiden match for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium. The pacer would often cycle or take shared autos to practice at the 11 Km far IS Bindra PCA International Stadium in Mohali early in his career. “Rain or hot sun, Ashwani would never hesitate to go to PCA at Mohali or later at the new stadium at Mullanpur. Sometimes, he would cycle to PCA academy or take lifts or would go in shared autos. I remember he would take Rs 30 from me for the fare and when he was picked up for Rs 30 lakh by Mumbai Indians in the mega auction, I knew his worth was every penny. After each wicket today, I would think about those days when he would return at 10 pm after his training and again wake up the next day at 5 am to head hack”Kumar’s father Harkesh Kumar had told The Indian Express last year.

The pacer, who had played with Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh in his earlier days, would play often with canvas shoes in local tournaments before he made his senior debut for Punjab in 2019. His brother Shiv Rana had shared how Ashwani would spend hours playing club cricket and would also be supported by his friends from the village in his dream. “Ashwani would tell me and other youth of the village to reach early in the morning at the school ground no matter what and most of us would bat against him at the school ground. Sometimes, he would go to other cricket grounds near the village to play for local teams and would again call us in the evening to play. He would bowl pace wearing normal canvas shoes and friends like Chahat Rana, who is now in Italy, and others would support him with cricket balls and spikes. His passion was to play cricket and make us proud and today he has done that for all of us,” Kumar’s elder brother Shiv Rana had told The Indian Express.

Kumar, who was picked up for Rs 30 lakh by Mumbai Indians in the IPL mega auction in 2024, did not get the chance to play in Indian’s first five matches in this year’s IPL. With the Indians losing four matches out of five matches prior to Monday, the Indians’ management opted for the pace of Kumar in Monday’s match against Shubman Gill led Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad. With Jasprit Bumrah removing Sri Sudarshan off the first ball of the innings and Hardik Pandya removing Jos Butler in the second over, Kumar bowled his first over of the match in the fifth over of Titans’ innings. The Punjab pacer picked up the wicket of Titans’ captain Shubman Gill off the second ball of his first over with a length ball with Naman Dhir taking a catch at deep square leg. Kumar then removed Rahul Tewatia with a length ball pitched outside off with wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock taking an easy catch before he removed Rashid Khan and Shahrukh Khan in the third over of his spell. Kumar later spoke about how he had planned for this wicket in consultation with captain Hardik Pandya. “When we entered the ground, the thought was the length ball is better on this kind of pitch and we were backing that. I was planning with Hardik Bhaiya about bowling. And the plan was to bowl according to the wicket and that the situation demanded. The planning was good. The wicket of Shahrukh Khan was with a short ball and it was the wickets demand,” shared Kumar.