Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Bangalore, July 7: “I could not believe when Ajay Jadega told me that I had made it to the Indian team for the Sri Lanka tour. This is the happiest moment of my life as I have realised the ambition of playing for the country besides that of Orissa people who were longing for this day. I am the first player from my State to be selected for the national side,” Debashish Mohanty said in tremendous jubilation at his hotel room when approached for his reactions.
“I was coming back to my room after having my lunch when Jadeja called me to congratulate.” The players had left the Stadium before the team was announced due to rain interrupting their nets.
Though Mohanty took the game seriously only after his matriculation, his rise has been meteoric. Mohanty has been doing well for the last five years though he made his Ranji debut only last year. “Bowling came naturally to me. I was inspired by Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath,” said the medium-pacer.
Kamal Ganguly was the coach who put him through his paces. Mohanty made his debut in Ranji in 1996 against Bengal and claimed just two wickets. But the potential in him was spotted by team manager Lalatendu Mohapatra who insisted that the boy needed encouragement to attain his true potential.
In the last season, Mohanty picked up 23 wickets from six matches with a haul of nine for 142 as his best against Bengal. Apart from this, he played a Duleep Trophy match against North Zone and picked up two wickets. Perhaps the turning point came when he was picked to play for the India A side, though he captured only four wickets from three matches. But he had done enough to grab the attention of the national selectors who were looking for new bowlers.
“Sadly I have not played enough matches at the collegiate level as I was busy playing for the State at various grades of cricket” Mohanty said ruefully.
Mohanty was recently selected by the MRF Pace Academy. “The stint under legendary Dennis Lillee helped me sharpen rough edges,” he said.Back home, he plays for Shaheed Sporting Club in local league. Mohanty gives credit for his success to four people — his first coach Kamal Ganguly, Orissa team manager Lalatendu, Shashank Das, coach of Saheed Sporting and CP Sharma, who all pooled in to help him realise the ultimate dream of being picked for the Indian team.
