Five wickets on debut is a special feeling: Ashwath

While K H Gopinath and S Vasanth Saravanan sizzled with the bat, it was debutant Ashwath Mukundhan who hogged the limelight with a five-wicket haul, including three in his first spell that put the brakes on Veeran’s quest to overhaul the target.

Ashwath said there was some nerves before he went about his business. “As a youngster, I felt comfortable in the team, so there was no pressure. Obviously I was a little nervous because this is my first game in the Tamil Nadu Premier League. Right from the team meeting to the bus journey, my seniors and the coach were with me,” he said.

The fast bowler said he stuck to the plan and basics and it worked. “We had a plan and I knew I was going to bowl in the power-play. I was just doing what Sathish said, nothing extra. He was telling me to hit the right areas and when it came to the last over, he just asked me to bowl the slower ones. Those things worked,” he said.

Ashwath said he didn’t expect to take five wickets and his plan was to bowl in the right areas. “Frankly no (expecting to take five wickets). I just wanted to bowl well, but five wickets on debut is a special feeling. I never expected that, it feels nice. Our team’s morale is up and going into the semis, we are doing well and we would like to continue the same thing,” he said.

The 20-year-old said he was happy to take a wicket off his first ball in the league and seal the game for his side in the first six overs. “I didn’t realise there was an edge, I would only know after seeing the video now. I went to my follow through and saw Gopi anna and everyone were appealing, maybe they heard it. It was a special feeling taking wicket off the very first delivery. It set us the momentum and we were able to get three-four wickets in the power-play and seal the game. It felt nice,” Ashwath added.

Ashwath’s unique celebration style with Thalaivan Sargunam, where the duo broke into a jig after taking a wicket, caught the eye-balls of many. The bowler said he loves to enjoy his cricket. “I am usually like this off the field and I try to enjoy my cricket. The first wicket celebration that me and Thala did, we do that during our club games. We play for the same club, MRF and so it started there. It just continued over here as well,” he added about the celebration.