'I Don't Look At The Batter In Front Of Me'

'...whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.'
'If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best.'
'For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.'

Playing his first full Ranji Trophy season, 22-year-old Vidarbha all-rounder Harsh Dubey stole the limelight by winning the Player of the Tournament award as he powered Vidarbha to the Ranji Trophy title.

The left-arm spinner scored 476 runs with five fifties, contributing valuable lower-order knocks.

With the ball, he was unstoppable, claiming a record-breaking 69 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 16, including seven five-wicket hauls -- the most wickets by any bowler in a single Ranji Trophy season, breaking spin GOAT Bishan Singh Bedi's 1974-1975 record.

Dubey delivered when it mattered most, scoring back-to-back fifties in the quarter-final against Tamil Nadu before a match-winning five-wicket haul against defending champions Mumbai in the semis.

His superb performances helped Vidarbha clinch their third Ranji title in seven seasons, helping the left-armer tide over the disappointment of going unsold at the IPL auction despite being among the most promising young spin all-rounders in domestic cricket.

Things changed quickly for the youngster as he received a call-up from Sunrisers Hyderabad as an injury replacement. He ended up playing three matches in seven days in which he impressed with five wickets, including a superb spell of 3/34 against IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dubey made an impression on spinning great Anil Kumble and his SRH Coaches Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan, as he dismissed Virat Kohli, Mitchell Marsh, Andre Russell and Rinku Singh during the IPL.

Soon after, he was drafted in the India A squad for the two-match series against England Lions, where he played as the lone specialist spinner -- taking 1/129 in 25 overs while scoring 32 runs at No 8.

"My childhood coach Nanoo Sir used to call me Bishan Singh Bedi whenever I used to bowl during practice. So when I broke Bishan Sir's record, my mummy called him and told him 'You used to call my son Bishan Singh Bedi, and now he has broken the legend's record'," Harsh Dubey tells Harish Kotian/Rediff.

From going unsold at the IPL auction to getting picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad as an injury replacement and playing three games within a week.
How was the feeling to play in the IPL?

I was resting properly after a long season and playing after a local tournament. Then I got a call that I was picked by SRH. I didn't hit me initially that I was playing in the IPL, I was shocked and it took time for the feeling to sink.

After I entered the ground I realised that I am actually playing in the IPL.

I was not picked in the auction so I was not thinking about the IPL. I was only planning on what I need to do in the off season to prepare for the next season, how to improve my game. So that call was totally unexpected.

It was only when I bowled the first over that it dawned on me that I was finally playing the IPL.

Your first wicket in the IPL was Mitchell Marsh. How did you feel on getting your maiden IPL wicket a batter who had been quite devastating with the bat?

It was a big moment for me, getting my first wicket in the IPL. This season has gone so well for me. That time nothing was running in my mind, I was not thinking of anything to be honest.

I was only telling myself that whatever opportunities come my way I have to make most. And I was happy that my debut match went well, I bowled well and got the wicket of Marsh.

In your second game, you got the big wicket of the great Virat Kohli. Can you describe your emotions after taking the wicket?

I always plan to get wickets whenever I come on to bowl. I always come with a plan in every game that I want to get the wickets of particular batters, sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't.

Virat Kohli was looking to make room and hit me through the covers so I thought of cramping him for room. And luckily he hit it straight to the fielder and got out.

You continued to improve with the ball, taking T20 career-best figures of 3/34 against KKR in your third game.

Yes, it was my best performance in T20 cricket.

In that match too, I was concentrating on bowling in the right areas according to the field. I was looking to use the angles and trying to make sure that the batters are forced to hit me aerially in that part of the ground where the boundary is bigger.

In that match versus KKR I was able to execute my plans perfectly and it was my best bowling in T20 cricket till now.

Your head coach at SRH was New Zealand's great spinner Daniel Vettori, who was a similar spin all-rounder to you. What advice did he give you about bowling in T20 cricket?

I did speak to Vettori Sir but since I was not coming into the team during the off-season I couldn't get much time with him.

He also didn't want to load me with bowling advice as I was only there for a short period of time, he wanted me to keep it simple.

I didn't talk to him much about the bowling and skill part but we did discuss about the match related parts.

You also had the legend Muttiah Muralitharan in the SRH camp. What did he tell you?

In my first match I was bowling a lot fuller so Muralitharan Sir told me that my line was good but I needed to pull back my length. I focused on what he said and I got the results in the next game.

Things happened pretty fast for you in the last few weeks. You not only got picked in the IPL but were also selected for India A for the tour of England, which is one step away from the Indian team.
How was your experience of playing for India A, which is a step away from the Indian team?

It was a very good experience of playing for India A. This is my first foreign tour and it happens to be a place like England. I am just trying to improve every game and hopefully I can perform better in the second match for India A after learning from my experience of the first match. There are small things which I need to work, I have an idea where I need to improve upon.

How big a jump is the IPL for an Indian domestic cricketer?

If you perform well in the Ranji Trophy and also do well in the IPL then the performance carries a lot of weight.

If you see someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy, after he played well in the IPL after which he got an opportunity to play for India.

IPL is the biggest stage for any cricketer if you have to play for India. So many people watch the IPL that your performances get noticed. Ranji Trophy standard is quite high but not all matches are broadcast because so many games are being played together, so the players don't get much visibility.

The big thing is your performances in the IPL don't go unnoticed and it is the best chance for any domestic cricketer to make it to the Indian team.

If you ask any young cricketer in India today which tournament you want to play and they will all say we want to play in the IPL because it is such a big platform. For me, it was also a big jump.

Last time, I did well in domestic cricket and then it was written in my destiny to play in the IPL because I made it to the SRH team after a couple of injuries.

You also excelled in the Ranji Trophy and played a big part in Vidarbha's triumph this season?

This is the biggest achievement of my life so far. I remember when Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy for the first time (in 2017-2018) I was following the match on television.

I still cherish some memorable moments from that historic game like Aditya Thakare picking up a wicket in the first over of the match, then Gautam Gambhir's dismissal to Akshay Wakare, then winning the final for Vidarbha's first ever Ranji title.

Back then I had said to myself that I want to play for Vidarbha and I also want to win the Ranji Trophy. So this was always on my mind that whenever I get a chance to play for Vidarbha, I want to play well and help them to win the Ranji Trophy, so now that I have achieved that dream it is a big achievement for me.

From that moment seven years ago to watching Vidarbha winning the Ranji Trophy on television to now being part of the winning team, tell us about your dream come true journey. Did you face a lot of setbacks as well?

This is part of every sportsperson's journey, there will always be ups and downs. I always look to make sure that whenever I get an opportunity, I make the most of it and help my team. That is my only aim as a cricketer.

Vidarbha are the new powerhouse in domestic cricket, having won three titles in the last seven seasons, while finishing runners up one season. What is the secret behind this consistent run in the last few seasons?

I would put it down to the hard work we put in the off-season before the start of the season. I think it is one of the best preparations for the new season by any team.

If you see in a couple of months, our camps for the new season will start with the fielding sessions, fitness camps, followed by indoor training camps during the monsoon season.

Our preparations for the new season begins quite early as compared to the other teams. And those early training sessions have proved to be beneficial for us.

And the other good part about our team is that all are disciplined. We are all clear about our roles and that clarity has helped everyone so these things make a lot of difference.

Our coach Usman Ghani has also done well in managing the team. I have been playing under him since the Under-14 days, then Under-19 as well. He knows how to get the best out of his players and what roles a particular player can play. I would say that is the best part about him, he reads a player quite well and gives them opportunity at the right time.

Personally, for you as a spinner it must be feeling proud going past the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi's Ranji record of 64 wickets in a single season of Ranji Trophy which he had achieved in 1974-1975. What does that achievement mean for you?

Absolutely, it was a memorable moment. I will tell you a story related to this. In my childhood in my club we had a coach called Nanoo Sir, and whenever I used to bowl during practice he used to call me Bishan Singh Bedi. I don't know why he used to call me that.

So when I broke Bishan Sir's record, my mummy called him immediately and told him 'You used to call my son Bishan Singh Bedi, and now he has broken the legend's record'. For me also, it is a big moment for me to go past Bishan Singh Bedi's record.

Your haul of 69 wickets from 10 games, including seven five-wicket hauls, is a new Ranji Trophy record. To achieve this feat in the first full season of the Ranji Trophy must be a proud feeling for you. What is the secret of your success?

I just kept it simple. The ball was coming nicely from my hand, and I had a good rhythm.

If I compare, last season I played five Ranji Trophy and five Under-23 matches, combined in those two tournaments I scored a total of 400 runs and 50-plus wickets. I didn't do anything different this season, I just continued to play in the same way. I worked on my batting in the off-season, trying to work on my mistakes of last season so that helped improve my batting.

I knew this season I would get more opportunities since Aditya Sarwate moved to Kerala. So my focus was to do my best whenever I played and make a contribution in helping Vidarbha win matches.

You also played a crucial role with the bat for Vidarbha, scoring 472 runs in 17 innings this season with five half-centuries, batting mostly lower down the order at 7, 8 or 9.
How difficult is a role batting in the lower order because some times you need to attack and some times you need to just play out the overs?

Last season, I was not contributing with the bat when batting lower down the order because I was confused about my approach, whether to attack or defend. Then I spoke to a few people on how I should approach my batting and then I also got some clarity on what position I will bat.

Last season, I was batting at No 8, this time I was batting at No 7 mostly, and my only focus was to bat till the end. I was also in the lookout of runs and looked to score run at every possible opportunity.

That vital knock of 12 in the first innings against Kerala in the final, putting on 44 runs for the final wicket with Nachiket Bhute proved to be one of the turning points because Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy on the basis of the first innings lead which in the end was just 37 runs. How crucial was that 10th wicket stand?

That partnership was definitely crucial. In that game we had sent a couple of nightwatchmen so I was batting at No 10. Me and Nachiket... our plan was clear, we just wanted to score as many runs as possible because that will help when we come out to bowl.

We knew the pitch was still good for batting so we needed the cushion of a few extra runs.

If not for that partnership, the match would have been interesting because Kerala would have been in the contest on the fifth day.

Standing up for the team at crucial moments in big games, like taking five wickets against Mumbai or the crucial wicket of Aditya Sarwate in the final or the twin fifties against Tamil Nadu in the quarter-final must be a big confidence booster for your career. Do you enjoy performing in pressure situations?

I enjoy playing under pressure. I think pressure brings out the best of me, it brings out my real character I feel. Whenever there is a pressure situation, I have always enjoyed my batting.

And the same with bowling, I relish when there is pressure. I don't look at the batter in front of me, whether he is a top player or not, it doesn't matter.

If I go by a player's name I won't be able to bowl at my best. For me he is just a batter, and my only focus is where I need to land the ball.

I don't complicate things, my areas are the same for any batter I bowl against.

Your parents were in the stands to cheer for you in the final against Kerala at the VCA stadium in Nagpur. They have made a lot of sacrifices for your career. Your father took early retirement from the CISF to support your cricket career so you don't have to move out of Vidarbha. How proud were they when you won the Ranji Trophy?

It was tough for my father because quitting a government job is not easy. I wanted to live up to his backing and prove his decisions right.

Let me tell you that my father is more crazy about cricket than me. I would say I am fulfilling my father's dream of being a cricketer.

I was born in Pune, at that time my father got transferred to Mumbai from Kolkata. Then we stayed in Mumbai before he got transferred to Nagpur when I was in the fourth standard.

When I took up cricket in Nagpur, I always loved batting. My father supported my decision to take up cricket and that was the start of my cricketing dreams.

Having started as a batter, when did you start bowling spin?

I remember when we were playing in the nets, one day the boy who used to bowl spin he didn't turn up. Then someone told the coach 'Harsh also bowls good spin' so I was asked to bowl spin in the nets.

From then, I started bowling spin seriously. I used to get wickets at the start so I enjoyed it and working hard on it.

I started to give spin bowling more time, I used to spend 2-3 hours bowling spin in the nets.

You played club cricket in Chennai for the Mylapore Recreational Club where he played under the captaincy of Ravichandran Ashwin, who interestingly gave you tips to improve your batting and not much on bowling. Isn't it?

He didn't speak much about my bowling because he told me that my bowling is fine because I had taken a lot of wickets during that time. I was the highest wicket-taker in the C K Nayudu tournament. He told me that 'you are bowling well at the moment so I don't want to talk about your bowling'.

But he gave me a lot of tips about batting.

Ashwin has been someone who has inspired me a lot. He is a great thinker of the game and I am also similar to him, because like him I am also constantly thinking how to improve my game.

I remember Ashwin told me how he learnt about diet later on his career, maybe he felt he would have done better if he had known about it earlier. So learning from him, I started paying more attention to my diet because I was 19 then and I was not focused on that.

From that point onwards, there has been a major change in my diet.

I am very impressed by how he reads the game. He is a skillful bowler but he is very smart when it comes to bowling, he has all his plans in place when he comes up against a particular batter, that thing I have tried to learn from him.

Did you get a chance to speak to any other India players?

Whenever I get a chance during domestic cricket, I do go and speak to the big players. I remember during the match against Saurashtra, I had a long chat with Cheteshwar Pujara about batting. He gave me some important advice which I work on during my training sessions.

Umesh Yadav has always been there for us. Whenever he joins the team, he always shares his experience of playing for India and how to play in certain situations and what we need to do improve our game. So he has been a big help for us.

Even my senior Vidarbha team-mates including Aditya Sarwate, Akshay Wakhare and others they also speak to us a lot and help us understand situations and how to cope with pressure.

I have learnt from our captains like Akshay Wadkar, Karun Nair and Jitesh Sharma, they are all senior players and have supported us in tough times.

Do you also look up to someone like Ravindra Jadeja, who is a similar player like you in terms of skills set?

Jadeja is my role model because we have the same skill set. I have been looking up to Jadeja since I started playing cricket, before that I used to admire Yuvraj Singh.

Growing up, I closely followed Jadeja because he is a player who makes a difference by contributing with both bat and ball.

This Ranji Trophy triumph must have helped to get over the disappointment of missing out in the IPL auction last year. How much did that IPL auction disappointment hurt?

Honestly, I never gave it a thought. My thinking is that if I was not picked in a team or for a tournament then I need to get better. Me and team-mate Yash Rathod, when we missed out on the Duleep Trophy last season, we said to ourselves 'whatever we have done is not enough, we need to perform even better'.

From my childhood days, since I started playing cricket I have always taken rejection in the right spirit. If I have been dropped it has made my resolve even stronger to perform better. I just believe in working hard and giving your best, there is no point thinking about something which is not in your hands like selection.

But playing for India must be one of the big targets of your career just like winning a Ranji Trophy was?

That is certainly my goal to play for India. Test cricket is my top priority to be honest, because red-ball cricket is my favourite format. That is the difficult format for any player.

My aim is to play Test cricket for India and do well. Obviously, it is not that I don't want to play T20 cricket but Test cricket is close to my heart.

You believe that doing well with the bat in domestic cricket makes your case stronger because we have lots of spinners in domestic cricket doing well across formats?

Yes, batting has become very important. If you see in the Champions Trophy, India played with a lot of all-rounders. In the future too, more all-rounders will get opportunities.

My role of batting down the order has been my role since I started playing cricket. So I am quite used to how to handle that type of situation when batting with the lower order.

This season I made 479 runs and my focus will be to improve on that tally next year and score more runs for the team.

In the bowling too, I will look to better the mark of 69 wickets and bowl better than last season. I believe that you need to improve constantly, whether it is bowling or batting or fielding.

Despite being just 22, you speak very maturely and have a very realistic view of things. Do you work on the mental side of things as well along with your cricket training?

To be honest, there have been certain incidents in my life which changed my outlook towards life.

Let me tell you about an incident from my Under-19 days when I was not picked for the World Cup. I could have taken that thing in the negative way and sulked over it. But I thought I should look forward rather than thinking about the disappointment of the past.

After that I played in the Cooch Behar Trophy the Under-19 tournament and that year I was the highest wicket-taker in India in Under-19 cricket. After that I played in the Under-23 category and did well there too. In around 12/13 matches in both Under-19 and Under-23 I picked a total of around 70-plus wickets and more than 700 runs.

I thought to myself that I was not picked for the World Cup but I was able to do well here, so such incidents have helped me get more mature.