Ashwani Kumar - the fiery underdog who refused to give up

Jhanjeri, a quiet and unremarkable pastoral outpost in Punjab's Mohali district, is little known - and not much beyond a few educational institutes under the Chandigarh Group of Colleges. While students from rural and urban Punjab end up there to study, the village has yet to produce a name of repute. That wait may have ended. A certain rookie called Ashwani Kumar from that village has announced his arrival on the big stage.

"The night will be remembered for a name called Ashwani Kumar," Ravi Shastri said on air while calling the Monday's IPL game for the official broadcaster. "Everyone back in the village will be watching me play. I got my opportunity today, and I'm very happy," the young left-arm pacer said after a dream IPL debut on Monday night. His four for 24 in Mumbai Indians win against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede is the best by an Indian in the IPL - worthy of the Player of the Match award too.

His victims for the night included Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell - two of whom were clean-bowled after being beaten for pace. Ramandeep Singh, KKR's second-highest scorer (22) and a fellow product of Ashwani's academy, had hoped to face his state and academy mate. However, the debutant wasn't needed to complete his full four-over quota - KKR were bundled out in just 16.2 overs (for 116). Both Ramandeep and Ashwani train under coach Vajinder Singh at the Launching Pad Academy in Sector 97, Chandigarh.

"Very talented and hardworking Ladka. He is a prime example of the IPL providing opportunities to young players, and they making the most of it. We come from the same academy, and I was hoping to face him. He has a long way to go," said Ramandeep about his state and academy mate.

Before his IPL debut, Ashwani had played just four senior T20 matches, along with two Ranji Trophy and four List A games. He was discovered by Mumbai Indians' scouts, who have a well-earned reputation for identifying top talent. Long before Jasprit Bumrah became Jasprit Bumrah, these very scouts had spotted him. Another standout find is Ashwani's current teammate, Vignesh Puthur, a highly skilled spinner who has already left an impression in IPL 18.

"It's cool that he got an opportunity and the group's really chuffed that he managed to bring out that performance today. We played a few warm-up games. I kept to him and batted against him. He's a really nice bowler. He can swing the new ball and he executed his plan really, really well," said teammate and MI wicket keeper Ryan Rickelton. "I could see from behind the stumps - he obviously executed towards a certain pattern. That was quite distinct to notice from behind the stumps."

Comes from a humble background

Those who know Ashwani describe him as a player from a truly humble background. According to his coaches, the walls of his house aren't even properly painted. But he has an immense work ethic and determination. "He wouldn't be bothered by modern workload management practices, where bowlers are restricted to a set number of deliveries in the nets. He just wants to keep working hard.

"I see in him a relentless desire to bowl as much as possible. He's never satisfied with just three or four overs in the nets - he pushes himself to bowl 13 to 15 overs a day. There have been times when we've had to step in and stop him from overworking," his academy coach, Vajinder Singh, told Cricbuzz.

It was a view that was also shared by Avishkar Salvi, a former India and Mumbai pacer who coached the Punjab team for a couple of years before joining the Indian women's team last year. "I knew him as a player from a humble background. Before I joined the Punjab team, I was told he would regularly come and bowl at the State team nets for hours - day after day, week after week, every year. Hats off to the Punjab Cricket Association for recognizing and nurturing his talent. He has truly risen through the ranks."

Ashwani made his Ranji Trophy debut in December 2019 when he was just about 17. It was an uneventful debut - one wicket in each innings against Rajasthan - and he has managed only one more first class game since.

"He couldn't break into the Punjab team, or keep place in the side as the state already had bowlers like Siddharth (Kaul), Baltej (Singh), and Arshdeep (sing). This meant opportunities were hard to come by, but he never gave up. He consistently bowls between 130-140 kmph which is quite good. He possesses the natural left-armer's angle that moves away, but he has also honed his line and length while adding a few extra yards to his pace, which is now quite sharp. He has clearly put in the work on his fitness - an essential factor for any pace bowler," Salvi explained.

When Vajinder first met Ashwani a few years ago, he was raw, lacking in pace, and had limited abilities. They focused on improving his fitness and refining his skills. "When I first saw him, he was a hardworking lad but struggled with his line and length. His deliveries would only stay true to the line. I explained to him that he needed to develop the ability to bring the ball back into right-handers. He was eager to learn that skill and asked me to train him accordingly. We started with light drills and he worked tirelessly for days until he mastered it," Vajinder recalled.

Before Ashwani left for the IPL, he focussed on several aspects of his bowling under Vajinder's guidance - skills that were on full display on Monday night. "We put in a lot of work before the IPL, and now he's executing exactly the way I hoped. He used to bowl around 130 kmph initially, but now he can touch 140 kmph. We also refined his action, which has considerably improved his accuracy and control over his bowling areas," Vajinder said.

"He used to bowl to Ramandeep, and I would ask him if he could get the ball to nip back into him. Initially, Ramandeep would say it stayed straight with no inward movement. But over time, he noticed the ball was starting to come back in. I'm happy to see him execute exactly what we worked on in the IPL," Vajinder said. He also believes Russell's wicket was a perfect reflection of their practice sessions.

Rickelton also thinks that Ashwani is very nippy and possesses exemplary skills. "He's got some great skills, so (I'm) looking forward to seeing how he goes in the rest of the competition. He's a lot quicker than people recognise at first. That's a great attribute and he can swing the new ball. We've got two specialist swing bowlers (Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar) with the new ball as well, but to have that second plan without that swing factor was really impressive.

"Like I say, he's a lot quicker than you think, he rushes you a little bit lower as well. He's a great addition to the group. I'm looking forward to seeing if he gets an opportunity with the new ball to see other sets of skills come through. He's a nice find for Mumbai Indians and we're looking forward to seeing how he goes."

So where can he go from here? Salvi says he sees the ability to go the distance if he manages to be consistent. "Consistency is the name of the game and he must maintain it across various IPL venues. He will encounter different conditions and a variety of batsmen, making adaptability crucial. To progress in his career, he must adjust quickly and effectively."