Abey’s day out

And when Abey hurls the red cherry, he is sure to bring down the house — such is Mumbai’s love for this shy, gentle 6’3" tall bowler.

Kuruvilla, who cemented his place in the national team with a solid performance during the Caribbean tour, will be playing his first international match before his home crowd.

There were quite a few critics who doubted Kuruvilla’s ability to perform at the top level when he was selected for the West Indies tour. They said he was past his prime at 28, and that he was too bad a fielder to merit a place in the squad. Kuruvilla answered in the best possible manner — by letting his performance speak for him.

It was at this very ground that Kuruvilla first came into national prominence during the 1991-22 final, when playing for Mumbai, he took four wickets against Haryana.

Though he took a bit of hammering against the Kiwis at Bangalore, the Lankans would do well to watch out for Kuruvilla at his home ground.