Bhubaneswar: Orissa bowling mainstay Basant Mohanty became the second bowler from the state to enter the 300-wicket club when he picked up the wicket of Akhil Herwadkar on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy game against Mumbai, here Wednesday. The first Oriya cricketer to have achieved the distinction was none other than Basant’s idol Debashis Mohanty.
To reach the magic landmark of 300 wickets, Basant took 81 games. Currently his tally reads 301 wickets.
The lanky bowler naturally was ecstatic after reaching the landmark. “It’s great to know that after Debu da (Debashis Mohanty) I am the second bowler from Orissa to capture 300 wickets. It’s always an honour for me when I do something for the state. I am pretty happy that I achieved the feat at my home town,” Basant said while talking to the reporters after the match.
“The feat will be memorable if we do well in the game. As a bowler, I have never craved for individual achievements, but have always worked for the team. We had two forgettable outings this season. But in this match we have a very good chance against Mumbai and our first aim will be to go for a first innings lead,” Basant pointed out.
Reminiscing about the past Basant confided that he was never sure whether he would reach this stage. “Earlier Debu Da and Shiv Da (Shiv Sundar Das) used to give me a lot of confidence. They used to field close to me when I was bowling and give me useful tips. At that time batsmen were cautious against Debu Da and loved to attack me. That worked in my favour and I got many wickets,” the lanky bowler revealed.
“Now roles have changed. Batsmen are cautious of me. As a senior, I try to pass on my knowledge to my junior mates. Overall the journey has been exhilarating and exciting, Basant added.
Basant’s first wicket was that of Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwari in his debut match at Siliguri in 2007 and it is the wicket he cherishes the most in his 10-year long first class career. “It was a dream delivery. It swung viciously and Tiwari had no answer to that. He was caught behind. Any batsman would have got out in that delivery,” Basant reminisced.
Basant was also nostalgic about his 100th wicket and 200th wicket. “My 100th wicket was Mandeep Singh at Mohali and 200th wicket was Jayant Yadav at Lahili. It still gives me that déjà vu feeling,” he said.
Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra
