Seamer Dias
MUMBAI: Royston Dias first came into the limelight in 2013 when he was signed by Delhi Daredevils during the Indian Premier League auction.
Team mentor TA Sekar recommended the left-arm pacer after being impressed with his pace at the MRF Pace Foundation.
On Thursday, on a juicy Wankhede Stadium wicket, which provided bounce and lateral movement, Dias proved that Sekar wasn’t wrong. He was the most impressive of the Mumbai bowlers as they reduced Gujarat to 232 for eight, still trailing by 65 runs.
In 2013 as well, Dias, then 20-year-old, was called up by then Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni to bowl at the Ranji players and straightway lined-up to bowl at Sachin Tendulkar.
His first ball was a bouncer which had caught the Little Master by surprise. That day once again he reminded of the raw pace he possessed. Now 25, Dias has been on the fringes of the Ranji side for the last few years but breaking in hasn’t been easy. Constant injuries hasn’t helped his cause either.
TOUGH COMPETITION
With Dhawal Kulkarni and Shardul Thakur leading the line, there was always a fight for the third seamer’s spot. But that didn’t bog down the Vasai-based lad. The times spent on the sidelines were used to hone the skills.
“In a team like Mumbai, you have to wait for your chances as it’s very competitive. I have worked quite a lot in the nets, bowling from both sides as in Ranji you have to use different angles (to trap the batsmen),” said Dias after a fruitful day which saw him finish with figures of 18-4-52-3.
Gujarat were given a solid start by their skipper, and top scorer, Priyank Panchal (31) and his opening partner Kathan Patel (28) stitching a 49-run stand which was broken by Dias.
After a sedate start, Dias found his range, his deliveries jagging back, one of which snared Panchal, who thought it was driveable but ended up edging it to wicketkeeper Aditya Tare. It lifted the Mumbai bowlers, soon reducing Gujarat to 64 for three.
Manpreet Juneja (37) and Rujul Bhatt (41) shared a 67-run stand for the fourth wicket but it wasn’t smooth sailing at all with Mumbai keeping it tight, not allowing them to score freely. Gujarat lost only Juneja in the post-lunch session, entering tea at 150 for four.
While the Gujarat batsmen got starts, none were able to convert them barring wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Rawal (60 batting).
Mumbai tightened the screws in the post-tea session, bowling back of the length and at times a barrage of short stuff. Skipper Kulkarni (2/50) and Shivam Dube (2/45) were equally good. All three put in extra work in the absence of Tushar Deshpande, who pulled up his hamstring and could bowl only seven overs.
One they couldn’t trap was Rawal, who wasn’t deterred by the short stuff, hitting some lusty blows. When they did had him, substitute Akash Parkar dropped him. It could have been Dias’ fourth wicket, his best first-class haul, but he was content with his display, looking forward to many such days like this.