Yohannan’s role in moulding Basil

His raw pace was the talk of the town and his exploits in the tournament earned him a call-up to report to the Indian nets session ahead of their Test match against Australia in Pune. As the Kerala lad was giving practice to India’s best in business, he was taken by Gujarat Lions in the cash-rich and the glitzy Indian Premier League for a whopping Rs 85 lakh. 

From idolising and bowling to the Indian batsmen in the nets, Thampi soon found himself taking the wickets of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and even Chris Gayle and testing Steve Smith and David Warner with his pace.  

At the outset, while it all seems hunky-dory for Thampi, it wasn’t long ago when he contemplated to quit the game and move to the United Arab Emirates in search of a job to support his family financially. But his senior and mentor at CM Deepak of Swantons Cricket Club in Kochi had other plans. 

He convinced Thampi, who was on the verge of quitting the game permanently, to meet Tinu Yohannan at Chemplast in Chennai and that meeting changed it all for the young Kerala pacer. He represented Chemplast and started taking training under Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation and Thampi never looked back after that. Talking about his recoup, Yohannan said it wasn’t an easy task. 

“It took almost three months for Thampi to get back on his feet completely. He is a quick learner and his attitude made it easy for me to counsel him and help him out. He had his share of ups and downs but his focus never wandered away. 

He is an easy cricketer to coach, Yohannan said, on the sidelines of Kerala Ranji Trophy team’s camp at the Centre of Sports Sciences at Ramachandra University at Porur. Yohannan said it was easy for him to talk to a mellowed down Thampi and understand his mindset. 

“We are from the same province and that made it easy for me. He wanted to support his family and once we found a way to sort that out, there was never looking back,” the former India international said. Although Thampi doesn’t boast of any five-wicket hauls in the domestic season, Yohannan said he is an asset to any team. 

“He is a breakthrough bowler and the go-to man for any captain. He has shone time and again in crucial situations with breakthroughs. That makes him a special bowler,” Yohannan explained. It was Thampi’s pace that attracted Yohannan towards him. 

“He has raw pace and that combined with swing, makes him lethal. He has done very well in T20s and has the potential to play the longest format of the game too. His relaxed attitude is an asset and doesn’t take failures to heart. He is ready to learn and improve,” Yohannan added. 

With Thampi joining the team next week, Yohannan’s goal of taking Kerala to the elite group in Ranji Trophy has taken a step closer.