I guess we all have had plans some plans in life which we were unable to pull off successfully despite almost all of the ingredients required for the plan to be a success falling into place due to bad luck getting in the way of things.
This luck factor that one encounters sometimes in their lives is something that one can witness on almost all quarters of a cricket field. We, Bouncer Avenue, in this column bring forward one such story of a bowler who could have made a bigger name for himself had the destiny been on his side.
The Indian Premier League has unearthed many quality bowlers for the Indian cricket and who would be a better example of it than the great 'Boom Boom' Jasprit Bumrah who has become the Virat Kohli of Indian bowling lineup just the way MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina once termed Zaheer Khan as the Sachin Tendulkar of the Indian bowling lineup. Well let me tell you a fact, Jasprit Bumrah averages 24.17 with a strike rate of 19.6 with the ball in his IPL career but the player whose interview we will be bringing forward in this column has a bowling average of 22.40 with a bowling strike rate of 13.2 in his IPL career. He also possesses a batting strike rate of 154.55 which is extremely handy for someone who used to bat at number 9 or 10. Though, this player had an IPL career of just 3 games, one would wonder that why wasn't a youngster given further chances when he had such amazing numbers at the start of his IPL career. The player is none other than Aditya Dole, who was a part of Rajasthan Royals squad for 3 consecutive seasons in 2010,2011 and 2012. Some would blame Dole's economy rate being the reason behind him not getting another go but let me take you to the game scenarios which led to this economy rate being on the higher side and why his economy rate of 10.18 was justified but before that let me begin with Aditya Dole's story right from the start.
Aditya Pradip Dole was born in Pimpri (Maharashtra) which is located at a distance of just 15 kms from Pune. Pimpri is home to extensive industry and is well known for its automotive and manufacturing industry. He learnt the basics of cricket from the Deccan Gymkhana Club and went onto play first-class and List-A cricket for Maharashtra.
His returns with the red-ball in Ranji Trophy were dismal as he managed just 6 wickets in as many games with a bowling average of 84.83 but his returns with the white ball were excellent as he took 2 wickets in the 8 overs that he bowled in his very short career of 3 games in List-A cricket at an average of just 10.5 and strike rate of 24 with the ball with the economy rate being a mere 2.62 but such has been the fate of Aditya Dole that he never got to play a List-A game post that. His name first shot up the charts when he tore through the Rajasthan batting lineup in a CK Nayudu Trophy game where he registered the figures of 16.1-2-63-10.
He was then subsequently picked for Rajasthan Royals via a scouting camp. His debut IPL game was against Deccan Chargers where he made his first appearance on a big stage where people's eyes were set on him and the viewers were quick enough to declare him as a Kamran Akmal look alike. In his debut game, Rajasthan Royals were defending a modest total and they required wickets upfront to put the Deccan Chargers under pressure. Dole dismissed the very very special VVS Laxman in his very first over off a short ball. Laxman had hit a boundary off the previous ball off yet another short delivery by Dole. Adam Gilchrist, who was a very destructive opener in particular targetted the inexperienced youngster in his next over as he smacked him for two consecutive sixes and a four off a short ball but on the very next delivery Dole bowled yet another short ball which took Gilchrist by surprise and Gilchrist ended up mistiming the shot completely and got caught at square leg. In the latter half of the inning, he bowled a decent over to Rohit Sharma. Dole conceeded 42 runs for 2 wickets in his quota of 4 overs, the reason behind it being the over in which Adam Gilchrist took him to the cleaners but ended up getting dismissed. Any captain would have gladly accepted those runs in exchange of a rampaging Gilchrist's wicket who was threatening to take the game away as he was batting at a strike rate of 200. Rajasthan Royals managed to win the game by 2 runs and Dole received praises from everyone in the team. His next game was against the Kings XI Punjab (modern day Punjab Kings) where KXIP were cruising along at 108-2 after 11.2 overs when Dole got rid of Yuvraj and Mahela in a span of 3 deliveries. He got another wicket off a short ball when Yuvraj tried to pull him but ended up chopping it onto the stumps and Dole followed it up by one heck of a dismissal of Mahela Jayawardene at wide slip in the 12th over of a T20 game. Imagine that, folks! Dole ended up giving 36 runs off his 4 overs with 2 wickets to his name and had yet another good day at the office as Rajasthan Royals won comfortably by 9 wickets with 5 overs to spare.
Dole's last ever appearance in an IPL game came against the Mumbai Indians where he bowled in the death overs for the first time in IPL and the mighty Kieron Pollard was taking him to cleaners but he bowled a yorker length delivery at raw pace to Pollard and shattered his stumps in the 17th over of the innings. Pollard could have hurt Rajasthan Royals even more with 3 overs to spare considering the way in which he was hitting the ball. Dole was a little too expensive in this game as a juggernaut like Kieron Pollard proved out to be too much for an inexperienced youngster in the death overs and though Dole eventually got the better of Pollard, he had already done the damage to Dole's figures by then as he gave away 34 runs for a wicket in his 3 overs. Dole tried his level best to compensate for it, by playing a really good cameo of 30(18) with the bat while batting at no.9. He ended up being the highest run getter with the bat for Rajasthan Royals in that game and attacked the likes of Lasith Malinga, Zaheer Khan and Dhawal Kulkarni during his knock. Rajasthan Royals lost that game by 37 runs with Dole dismissed off the last ball of the game off Harbhajan Singh caught by Shikhar Dhawan at cowcorner which ultimately proved out to be Dole's last act in the tournament's history. Dole was retained by the Rajasthan Royals for the 2011 and 2012 season which was evident of the fact that they were happy with his performances in the three consecutive league stage games he got in the 2010 season but such was Dole's destiny that he never got to play an IPL game ever again.
Aditya Dole is a very simple and down-to-earth person who personally has no complaints with anyone and doesn't like to take much of credit and instead gives it to others. He has a knack of pointing out accolades towards the 2nd best performer of the game if he were the best performer in that particular game which is a trait identical to the legend who was the skipper during his last season with Rajasthan Royals, i.e., Rahul Dravid.
Aditya Dole now works for an Analytics Firm by the name AxionConnect Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd. He did play Kanga league in a lower division last year barring which now he has no real ties left with cricket. He takes lectures on Sports Celebrity Management at Ironwood Sports Management Global Academy on some weekends and though he doesn't have much of an active connection left with the sport, the love for the sport still thrives within him the same way as it used to.
I was lucky enough to get hold of him for an interview, the excerpts of which are published below:
Rahul: How did you get inspired to play cricket and the story of your initial entry to professional club level cricket?
Aditya: If I have to pinpoint a particular instance, it was on a trip to Pune that I happened to pass the Deccan Gymkhana Club Cricket Ground. I knew at that moment itself that this is what I want to do. That’s how the journey started, and co-incidentally I ended up playing for Deccan Gymkhana club from way back in 1997 to 2013.
Rahul: When did you first realise that you belong at this level?
Aditya: It was during my U15 days for Maharashtra, I was bowling good lengths and that's when realised that I can play at this level if I work hard consistently.
Rahul: Take us through that game against Rajasthan in CK Nayudu Trophy where you single handedly tore apart their batting lineup and ended up picking all the 10 wickets in the innings.
Aditya: Never in the wildest of dreams had I ever thought that I could do it. It happened only with the support of our captain Nikhil Paradkar and the team. I had taken nine wickets in the inning and my captain asked me if he could take the tenth one and I told him to please do so but he was kidding as he had placed a very casual field while he was bowling from the other end and there were no signs that he had even the slightest of intention to get a wicket. Along with that particular game, that entire season was a dream one for me & the entire team. I had been bowling well right from the start of that season. All of that just came together in that game. A lot of luck favored me too. There was a dropped catch off Rohit Jadhav's bowling and a clear run out that the umpire did not give. So, in a way, I was destined to take those 10 wickets in the 1st innings. Despite the heroics in the first inning, we all were just focused on winning the game. I still pretty vividly remember Kishore Bhikane's 5 wkt haul in the 2nd innings which made us win and the celebration that followed post that.
Rahul: You were there in the Rajasthan Royals setup for 2 years under Warne's leadership. How was the influence of the legendary Shane Warne in the team setup?
Aditya: He is a thorough professional and a gentleman to the core. For him, the players were above everything else. He really understood the players and was willing to back them irrespective of the result. The entire mindset for us used to be, how am I getting him out? or, where am I scoring my next run? It was never about defending, but the focus was entirely on attacking. One needs to have a very positive intent while playing with him.
Rahul: Who were your best mates in Rajasthan Royals and why were they your best mates?
Aditya: Munaf Patel always used to be with me. He was my friend, philosopher and the guide in 2010 season. He could spot the most minute details of my bowling and used to help me to correct them right away which really helped my overall game. Apart from the game, Munaf Patel, Abhishek Raut, Saurabh Walker (Video Analyst), Faiz Fazal, Shrikant Wagh were invariably with me in each bus/plane ride and jokes were cracked at will amongst us.
Rahul: Describe your journey to the IPL and the story behind your debut IPL game.
Aditya: There was no auction for domestic players back then. I was picked through a scouting camp and after doing well in the practice games I was called to the Rajasthan Royals squad but my debut came much later in the second half of the tournament. I knew my chance would come and was absolutely ready for it. Munaf Patel got injured and he himself told me that I will be making my debut. It was a really special day for me.
Rahul: How was the feeling when you dismissed the very very special VVS Laxman and the flamboyant Adam Gilchrist who was taking you to cleaners in your debut IPL game?
Aditya: It was a very joyful feeling but the happier part was that we won that game. That game, in particular, made me realise the importance of planning a dismissal and sticking to a game plan and above all the importance of believing that one can win if one just keeps following the right process.
Rahul: In your second IPL game, you got Yuvraj Singh bowled and Mahela Jayawardene caught at wide slip in the 12th over of a T20 game in an extraordinary fashion. What was the ploy behind it and how did you manage to execute it?
Aditya: That was entirely due to Shane Warne. Like I mentioned earlier, he understood his players. I remember him telling me before the start of the over to just bowl my stock length. He even continued the same field in spite of me getting hit for a boundary on the previous ball and I requested for a field change to which he declined but I got the results for that in the same over itself. Warne's thinking used to be focused entirely on getting the batsman out and not defending the runs.
Rahul: You bowled to the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar going at full throttle when he made an unbeaten 89 and got Man of the Match against your side Rajasthan Royals. How was the aura around Sachin Tendulkar and how did you feel being around him and bowling to him?
Aditya: The aura was unparalleled. I remember dropping his catch around the 14th over as I had misjudged the catch completely and we had to pay the price for it. He went really hard on us post that but to play alongside him was a dream come true.
Rahul: You were a part of the 2012 Rajasthan Royals squad which was led by Rahul Dravid. What was the team atmosphere like under a leader like Rahul Dravid?
Aditya: I wasn’t a part of the squad for the entire 2012 season. I was with him for only a couple of games. Rahul Bhai is more calculative in approach. He reads the game very well and is pretty calm and composed. He is always ready to counter the plans A/B/C of opponents. He is really friendly and makes the players feel at ease around him.
Rahul: You could have gotten a longer run in the IPL owing to your performances with the ball as well as the bat. You were even retained by Rajasthan Royals for 2 consecutive seasons after the 2010 one where you played 3 games on the trot but were never given a game post that. What do you think was the reason behind not getting a chance when you clearly deserved it?
Aditya: Some decisions(selections) are completely beyond your control. All you can do is work hard and wait for the opportunity to come. Perhaps, I should have tried harder and persisted longer and probably it could have done the trick.
