bais 19-year-old left-arm spinner Abdulla credits his 11 wickets in 3 innings in the Ranji season so far to mentor Murali On November 12 Day Three of the Mumbai vs Orissa Group A match Iqbal Abdulla watched videos of Murali Kartik bowling in the nets over and over again,as the evening wore on into the night. Having been left out of the opener against Punjab,the 19-year-old left-arm spinner had made his first appearance for Mumbai in the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy season,but heavy rains and the threat of a probable cyclone washed away the first two days of cricket. On the third day,Mumbai batted between rain breaks,keeping Abdulla under the shelter of the pavilion. Mumbai declared on 307/4 on the final day,more in terms of a good gesture,allowing the visitors to get a bat for their travels,than in hope of bowling them out to earn three points for the first-innings lead. 81 overs later,Abdulla nearly did. Running through the top order,Abdulla scalped four wickets for 52 runs in 32 overs while Orissa stumbled over the finish line to share points with just two wickets in hand. In the next match against Himachal,Abdulla had a match tally of seven wickets 4/48 in the first innings and three crucial wickets on the final day to help Mumbai complete an improbable come-from-behind victory. At the Karnail Singh Stadium on Monday,the youngster got the chance to personally tell Kartik about the inspiration for his turn-around. Kartik bhai has always been my role model. I watched his videos the night before I got my wickets against Orissa to inspire me. It is great to learn from because his action is smooth, Abdulla told Sportline. Abdulla said that the origins of his inspiration dated back to the Kolkata Knight Riders days,where he spent quality time with his role-model. I used to try and learn as much as I could during my interactions with Kartik during the IPL. He has picked up many wickets for the country and also at the domestic level, he said. Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer too believes that Abdulla has grabbed his opportunity with both hands. He did not have too many chances in the beginning. Now he is making full use by getting plenty of wickets. With these performances,his true potential is slowly coming out, Jaffer said. Kartik,who looked up to the likes of Bishen Singh Bedi and Maninder Singh,is flattered at the fact the he is now being seen as a role model for budding left-arm spinners. He has only one piece of advice to the likes of Abdulla. Self belief. It is the most important aspect of being a cricketer. There are people who are trying to knock you down,batsman who are trying to knock you down and the game itself is constantly trying to knock you down. You have to believe in yourself if you wish to succeed. Success and a starting XI spot,Abdulla feels,is a result of a lot of hard work. I have put in the long yards,now it is bearing fruit. I will keep pushing myself on my bowling and will try to get more wickets for the team. The rest I leave up to God and the selectors.
