Home Sports Cricket Praveen Kumar, the original magician from Meerut, bids goodbye to cricket

Praveen Kumar, the original magician from Meerut, bids goodbye to cricket

Quick to hurt, quick to forgive, and a homegrown philosophy developed in life in Meerut saw Praveen Kumar emerge as one of colourful cricketers of his time.

Praveen Kumar wants to be a bowling coach in future. (File Photo)

Praveen Kumar, one of the more fascinating characters to have played for India in the last decade or so, has decided to retire from all forms of the game after 13 years of competitive cricket. He will now only play company cricket for ONGC and desires to become a bowling coach.

“I have no regrets. Dil sey khela, dil sey bowling daala (I played and bowled with my heart). There are good bowlers waiting in the wings back in UP and I don’t want their careers to be affected. Mein kheloonga toh ek ka jagah jayega, (If I play, one spot would go); it’s important to think of other players’ future as well. My time is over and I have accepted it. I’m happy and thankful to god for giving me this chance,” Kumar told The Indian Express.

“I want to become a bowling coach. People know that I have this knowledge. I think it’s a area which I can work dil se, I can pass on this experience to the young ones,” he said.

The combination of pride, vulnerability, elements of a free-spirited mast maula, and though he strived to present an emotional toughness, a deeply emotional persona jostled in him. Quick to hurt, quick to forgive, and a homegrown philosophy developed in life in Meerut saw him emerge as one of colourful cricketers of his time. A fan of the writer on underworld, Hussain Zaidi, he has a penchant to quote Chanakya but at the same breath he would say, “mobile mey acha lagta hai yeh quotes, asli zindagi kuch aur hai yaar!”. He is the kind of a person who, as he did once in Australia, uprooted stumps at a training session to defend his friend Rohit Sharma, who was being heckled by unruly fans.

He knew he had the art to bend the ball as he willed it, he knew he was street smart enough to push himself against the best and at times would be left bemused when batsmen successfully took him on. On his best days, he could make the ball talk: he would deliver from close to the stumps and get the ball to curve back in late. He could bowl yorkers, slower ones and had the self-confidence to try bowling short at the likes of Ricky Ponting in Australia. There were many days to remember, some to forget as well.

The sad times came when he was left in wilderness due to an illness after the 2011 world cup. After a vulnerable period, he was back on track with help from Rohit, who convinced of his skills, got him an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians. “Dost hai, mera brother hai. Tamam zindagi nahi bhoolonga (He is my friend, brother. Won’t ever forget his help all my life).” he had once said.

Hailed as a “magician” by Manoj Prabhakar, the UP pacer made his India debut in 2007 and played his last game in 2012. He picked 27 wickets in six Tests, with a five-for at Lord’s. Despite being the main bowler for India on the that tour, he never played a Test again. The year after he couldn’t make to the 2011 World Cup due to an injury – that miss still gnaws him- he was hit by dengue and had to miss out cricket for a while.

But after IPL revival, he made his peace with the way his career went in the last two years. “I have decided to retire from cricket. The decision is not taken in haste, I gave a thought over it and I felt it was a right time to say goodbye to the sport which gave me so much. I want to thank my family, BCCI, UPCA, Rajeev (Shukla) sir for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams,” Kumar says.

One of his highlights remain the 2012 England Test tour and he brushes aside his own performances there, preferring to talk about how it would have been different for India had Zaheer Khan stayed fit. “Had Zak bhai hadn’t been injured Tests matches ka rukh kuch aur he hota, I still feel about it. And I can’t forget the CB series which we won in Australia, probably it was the highest point in my career,” he recalls.

In the here and now, even as he would continue playing for ONGC, the long-term goal is to become a bowling coach. “People tell me that I have this ability to share whatever I know about bowling to others. I want to become a bowling coach.”

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App.