For Esakkimuthu, first impression is best impression
In a highly competitive environment like professional sport, first impressions are often the best impressions one can leave, and A. Esakkimuthu did just that.
The 23-year-old pacer starred under the night sky on debut for IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans against Dindigul Dragons in Sunday's TNPL fixture, scalping four wickets to set-up a crushing nine-wicket win for his side.
'When I started to bowl, I didn't have much idea of what to do. I was playing in front of such a large crowd and under lights for the first time,' said Esakkimuthu after being adjudged the Player of the Match.
After conceding 16 runs in his first over, the youngster wasn't sure if he would get a chance again and credited captain R. Sai Kishore for bringing him on again. In his second spell, he returned figures of 3-0-10-4 and turned the game on its head. More impressive was his pace, which was consistently above 130 kph.
Sai Kishore added, 'He has pace and is nippy, and can hit the stumps regularly. More than anything, he seems to have a lionheart mentality and is an exciting prospect for us.'
What is more astonishing is the fact that the pacer from Tirunelveli hasn't come through the proper system of age-group cricket. It was only when he moved to Tiruchi for college that he enrolled in the Edden Sports and started playing with a cricket ball.
His big chance came when he got selected in the TNCA's talent hunt programme conducted in 2023. Esakkimuthu was part of the 30 players who made the final cut and underwent a three-week camp in Tiruppur in 2023 under the guidance of former Tamil Nadu all-rounder S. Mahesh.
'In the beginning, I didn't know what line to bowl. The training there was great. There were many raw bowlers like me. They explained the loads that a fast bowler takes and how one should recover after a game,' he said about how the camp helped him.
Though these are early days and there is a lot to learn, Esakkimuthu is up for the challenge.
'I only know how to run in and bowl. I used to love it when I beat the batter for pace. I am just beginning to learn what I should be doing with the ball.'
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