He was a good hammer-thrower at school. But since the hammer did not bring him big medals in Kerala's high-profile school athletics meet, Prasanth Parameswaran moved to tennis ball cricket which was a big hit in his native district.
The left-arm paceman from Alappuzha came to regular cricket a little later and found his way into the Kochi Refinery Cricket Academy seven years ago where he was shaped into a fine player by former Ranji coach P. Balachandran.
Prasanth, a Ranji Trophy player, has some outstanding performances in inter-State limited-over cricket, but the IPL high in New Delhi on Monday night has now given him the national exposure which the domestic four and one-dayers don't offer these days.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dream debut
The 6-ft, 3-in Kochi Tuskers fast bowler had a dream debut in the Indian Premier League. The 25-year-old walked away with the Man-of-the-Match award for his two-wicket haul that included the priceless scalp of Delhi Daredevils' captain Virender Sehwag.
Sehwag, who had lifted Prasanth for a six earlier, was all praise for the Kerala player.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He recovered well after that six and took my wicket. He is a good find for Kochi and for India also,” said the Team India star.
All words that will surely inspire the youngster to work harder and fight for his India cap.
Twenty20 is a batsmen's paradise and often, it can be very brutal to bowlers. But despite playing his first game for Tuskers, Prasanth kept a cool head.
“I was not tense when Sehwag hit me for that six, somehow, I knew I would get him,” he said from Chennai on Tuesday evening, as his flight made a brief stopover on its way to Kochi. “And since our captain had hinted that I could be playing the Delhi match the previous evening, I was mentally prepared. The tension was not there.”
Brilliant effort
Kochi captain Mahela Jayawardene was quick to notice the cool head and the young man's abundant talent.
“A brilliant effort from the debutant Prasanth Parameswaran,” said the former Sri Lankan captain and World Cup star. “He bent his back and bowled well. He was a debutant but didn't let his nerves show,” said Jayawardene. “Prasanth has got a nice high-arm action, he is able to extract good bounce from the wicket,” said Balachandran. “He has been a steady bowler all through.”
With the Indian team playing cricket almost all through the year, there is a big need now to rotate players, to prevent burnout. Clearly, the country needs a bigger pool of national players, especially fast bowlers. And Prasanth, an IOB Officer in Chennai, will realise that consistency comes with big rewards. He is very different from Sreesanth, probably Indian cricket's most colourful character. He is a man of few words.
And when he was called to collect his maiden IPL Man-of-the-Match award on Monday night and say a few words, one could notice him nudging Sreesanth for a little assistance. Clearly, this guy prefers to let the ball do the talking!