Abhishek Jain with Darren Sami and Rovman Powell (Image credit: Special arrangement)
New Delhi: Abhishek Jain was relaxing at his rented house in Dahisar, near Borivali in Mumbai, when his phone rang. On the other side, there was an official of the Mumbai Cricket Association and he asked a simple question: “The West Indies team is going to play basketball?”Abhishek did not hesitate for a moment. “Yes sir, I am ready, he answered immediately.
T20 World Cup: Ryan Ten Deutschat’s press conference ahead of IND vs WI
The official told him: “Kal aa jana 8 baje subah.”Abhishek, one of Mumbai’s well-known side-arm bowling specialists, has bowled against some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, including KL Rahul, Irvan Pathan and Sachin Tendulkar. The opportunity to coach the West Indies team left him thrilled as he eagerly awaited the next morning.He took a local train from Borivali to Churchgate and made his way to Wankhede Stadium, where the West Indies team was preparing for training.
Armed with his gloves and a sidearm launcher in the bag, Abhishek was ready.West Indies head coach Darren Sammy pointed to the area where he wanted the ball delivered. Abhishek nodded and started. The first batter he faced was Shirvan Rutherford.
The first delivery was launched like a rocket and beat Rutherford in terms of speed.Sami burst out laughing, looking emotional. He walked up to Abhishek and said, “Great guy! How can you play ball without warming up?”Abhishek simply smiled and continued.
“Each West Indies bowler was batting for 15-20 minutes. Most of the deliveries I played landed accurately – almost perfectly. Sammy was really happy, and things were going exactly the way he wanted. Rutherford batted well. Of all those, Hetmyer hit most of the big shots, but I managed to get the better of him a few times,” Abhishek told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“I was able to beat Rutherford too.
Hope tea
,
Roffman Powell
,
Ruston Chase
Shamar Joseph also joined in the batting practice.
“It was an incredible experience for me.”At the end of the session, Sami approached him, hugged him, and patted his back in appreciation.“Mr. Sammy was very happy. He called one of the managers and said, ‘Call this boy daily.’ He asked them to put me on the list for the upcoming training sessions,” Abhishek said.
Highlighting his stamina and skill, he added: “In fifteen minutes, I can bowl 10 times continuously.
This has come with experience. Over time, I learned how to increase my speed and bowling according to the demands of the batter.“Every West Indies batsman was following Sammy sir’s instructions. He asked them to target specific areas at different speeds, and I bowled accordingly. West Indies batsmen are serious hitters of the ball – they hit with great power,” Abhishek said. I continued to train them for matches.”All Rahul – favoriteWhen KL Rahul is in Mumbai, he sends a message to Abhishek for the take-off sessions.“KL Rahul sir is my favourite. He is a great human being and helped me a lot. My family went through a financial crisis and during those tough times, KL Rahul sir stood by me and supported us. He is not only a talented cricketer but also a great person. I also bowled to Mr. Irfan Pathan and Mr. Sachin Tendulkar.”
Abhishek lives with his younger brother in a chawl in Dahisar.
His brother is studying law, and Abhishek bears all his educational expenses.“My parents live in Madhya Pradesh. I live here and take care of my brother and his education. I also send money to my parents. Paying rent, supporting my parents and managing my brother’s education – all this falls on me,” he said.