Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In March this year, Sidak Singh, who on Saturday took all 10 wickets in an innings in Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy for Puducherry against Manipur, took a decision which he never thought he was capable of. The 19-year old went to a barbershop in Mumbai, removed his turban, and got a new haircut. Back home in Varanasi, all hell broke; his family couldn’t believe what he had just done. Sidak struggled to explain how lonely and frustrated he was to take that drastic step. He was suffering the blues after his action was deemed suspect and he had to work his socks off to get back on track.
Life has been a bit unfair, he felt. Until a year ago, he thought he was sure to play for India Under-19 team for World Cup and travel to New Zealand with the likes of Prithvi Shaw. After all, he had taken nine wickets for Mumbai against Maharashtra in an Under-16 tournament and was regarded as the best in junior circuit. However, things turned for the worst after his action was deemed suspect, and worse, he felt, there was no one to guide him. A few still wished he would play for Under-19 team again but the action clearance took a lot of time. Sidak had to miss the world cup bus and back in Mumbai, though he was picked for the T20 Mumbai league, he never got a chance.
Frustrated and angry, he didn’t know what to do. “I was bowling fine but post my suspect action things somehow didn’t go as I thought. I got very frustrated. And one day I just went out and had my hair cut. Socha, sab theek ho jayega,” Sidak recalls.
He had undergone biomechanical tests at Sri Ramachandra centre in Chennai last July but again ran into problems with his action. He worked hard with Omkar Salvi, Mumbai’s bowling coach, and has bounced back this season. He spent the summer training and playing. It was the time when BCCI decided to have nine new teams for the domestic season which opened the doors for professionals in junior circuit. It was something unprecedented.
Then one day, he got a call from the legendary spinner Bishen Singh Bedi. Sidak has known Bedi for past few years — he had even practiced in Delhi under him. Bedi put a word to an official in a new team Puducherry, who agreed to take young Mumbai left-arm spinner in their under-23 side.
“Bedi sir bole tu wahan khel, main chala aaya. I was desperate to play, competition in Mumbai is different from other states. I thought about it and decided to move to Pudducherry,” he says.
On Saturday, Sidak did a perfect ten. He took ten wickets in an innings of under 23 CK Nayudu Trophy against Manipur in at the CAP Siechem Ground. Sidak had reprised a feat of former India captain Anil Kumble. He finished with a spell of 17.5-7-31-10 on a pitch which Sidak says suited for pacers.
“The pitch was green and it helped pacers more. I took seven yesterday and didn’t think about taking the rest three. I thought the pacers would pick the rest of the wickets. I had taken nine wickets for Mumbai under 16 team before but taking ten wickets feels something different. I hope to carry on from here,” he says. An attacking left-handed batsman as well, he has a double century to his credit for Mumbai in the Vijay Merchant Trophy. With the bad times behind him, the youngster hopes to continue performing with the bat and the ball.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
