In a extremely aggressive surroundings like skilled sport, first impressions are sometimes the best impressions one can go away, and A. Esakkimuthu did simply that.
The 23-year-old pacer starred underneath the night time sky on debut for IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans in opposition to Dindigul Dragons in Sunday’s TNPL fixture, scalping 4 wickets to set-up a crushing nine-wicket win for his facet.
“When I started to bowl, I didn’t have much idea of what to do. I was playing in front of such a large crowd and under lights for the first time,” stated Esakkimuthu after being adjudged the Player of the Match.
After conceding 16 runs in his first over, the teenager wasn’t certain if he would get an opportunity once more and credited captain R. Sai Kishore for bringing him on once more. In his second spell, he returned figures of 3-0-10-4 and turned the sport on its head. More spectacular was his tempo, which was persistently above 130 kph.
Sai Kishore added, “He has pace and is nippy, and can hit the stumps regularly. More than anything, he seems to have a lionheart mentality and is an exciting prospect for us.”
What is extra astonishing is the truth that the pacer from Tirunelveli hasn’t come by the correct system of age-group cricket. It was solely when he moved to Tiruchi for school that he enrolled within the Edden Sports and began enjoying with a cricket ball.
His massive probability got here when he obtained chosen within the TNCA’s expertise hunt programme performed in 2023. Esakkimuthu was a part of the 30 gamers who made the ultimate reduce and underwent a three-week camp in Tiruppur in 2023 underneath the steering of former Tamil Nadu all-rounder S. Mahesh.
“In the beginning, I didn’t know what line to bowl. The training there was great. There were many raw bowlers like me. They explained the loads that a fast bowler takes and how one should recover after a game,” he stated about how the camp helped him.
Though these are early days and there is lots to be taught, Esakkimuthu is up for the problem.
“I only know how to run in and bowl. I used to love it when I beat the batter for pace. I am just beginning to learn what I should be doing with the ball.”
Published – June 09, 2025 08:33 pm IST
