Making bullets in a factory, he now takes a shot at IPL

“I no longer had big dreams because hardly anyone makes his debut in the 30s especially for T20s. But now that I have been selected, I can dream big of playing for India,” said the soft-spoken Dominic. Since he arrived in Pune on Thursday from Haryana after playing Ranji Trophy quarter finals, he has been flanked by friends and neighbours wanting to felicitate him.

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His wife Jennifer is proud of him, though playing in IPL fixtures would mean he would have less time to spare for his family. “We had a love marriage. His only condition before marriage was that I should never say no to his playing cricket and I agreed. He is on tour for almost 6 months. Johan (his son) would cry a lot whenever Dominic left, but he has got used to not seeing his father for long periods,” said Jennifer. Dominic’s wife and his two children, Joel and Johan, besides his mother, stay in a two-bedroom quarters.

Dominic, youngest in the family has three older sisters. “My father died when I was just 12. I joined the High Explosives factory when I turned 18. I loved cricket but circumstances were unfavourable to playing professionally as I was the sole breadwinner,” said Dominic. But his love for the game made him get a transfer to the Armament factory in Khadki which then had a cricket team. “I used to play cricket with a tennis ball then. For almost 10 years, I did the same. Whenever the local team asked me to play, I went and played for them. At that point, a day job was important because I had to take care of the family, and regular income from the factory was the only way to support them,” said Dominic.

Then, in a local club game, Shaun Williams, coach of Maharashtra team spotted Dominic after which his career in professional cricket took off. “People ask me often if I regret that I could play only when I was 30. I tell them that at least I got a chance and God has been more than benevolent. Regrets are of no use. I made the best of circumstances then and played whenever I could. And I plan to work hard and play my best during the IPL,” said Dominic.

Ask him about his happiest moment and he says it was when Daredevil’s chief coach Gary Kirsten messaged him about his IPL selection.

“People keep asking me about my money plans but honestly I haven’t given it a thought. For the first time, I will be playing in such a big platform. All I want is to play the best cricket I can and handle pressure well.”

Despite the fame, Dominic and his family are humble. “We have had a hard life. My husband died early and Dominic took the responsibility of the family. For his dedication to cricket all these years, this is God’s gift to him,” said Dominic’s mother.