After Windies success,Darekar eyes a bigger stage

Going Places: Spinner makes his presence felt with 12 wickets on the India a tour

Ever since Akshay Darekar has come back from the West Indies,he has not had much time to think about cricket,busy frequenting a hospital to visit his ailing grandmother. When Darekar finally sits down to contemplate his time in the Caribbean,it will be a happy moment for him.

Darekar was one of the few who came back from the India A tour with his reputation enhanced. The 23-year old left-arm spinner picked up 12 wickets in the four matches he played,including a six-for in the second Test. In fact,that was Darekars first game on tour,having sat out of the first match.

Waiting for his turn and taking his chances when they come is not new for the spinner. Like many before him,Darekar,born in Mumbai,could not break into the teams A side despite figuring in the under-19 probables. He had to start all over again with Maharashtra,moving to his native village of Palasdari to play club cricket.

Difficult times

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When I moved back to Palasdari,I only had the hope that my performances would get me noticed, said Darekar,who would often head out at three in the morning to catch the bus to Khopoli,where he practiced.

His quest to play cricket saw him travelling to remote towns of Maharashtra,but lugging a kitbag often posed a problem. Passengers used to complain about the size of my kit,I didnt want my kit to be kicked around by people so I used to sit next to the driver,that wasnt a very comfortable experience though, chuckled Darekar.

That was not the only difficulty he had to overcome. His father owns a small clothing store and financing his sons cricketing requirements were at times difficult. Many a times my father used to borrow money to help me buy good cricket shoes and other equipment that I needed, he said.

However,his hardships were worth it,as Darekar quickly moved up the rungs,getting promoted from the junior side to the Maharashtra Ranji side,making his debut in the 2010-11 season. In the next season,he finished as the Plate divisions top wicket-taker with 32 scalps.

Experimenting with variations

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Darekars coach Sandeep Dahad believes his wards ability to bring in variations have stood him in good stead. Deceiving the batsman through the air is his forte but he has also developed a few good variations and these have made him a better bowler, said Dahad. I try and experiment during club games,I get to bowl a lot in match conditions and that always helps, Darekar said.

With Maharashtra winning themselves promotion,Darekar will have more opportunities to try out his stuff,at a bigger stage.