Ban over, Trivedi strikes with 4-wicket haul on return to cricket

MUMBAI: Left alone to battle dejection that arose out of the one-year match-fixing ban, Siddharth Trivedi returned to professional cricket with a sterling show on Saturday.

Against Mumbai in the West Zone One-day league for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Trivedi set Motera’s ‘C’ ground alight with four important wickets. Eventually, Mumbai chased down Saurashtra’s 279 with two wickets and two balls to spare, but not before the 32-year-old Trivedi had given Suryakumar Yadav’s men a mighty scare.

The host of wickets, though, didn’t come easy for the pacer. For the last one year, since BCCI imposed the ban on him for failing to report an approach by bookies during IPL 2013, Trivedi was treated as an outcast in cricketing circles.

“I did not speak to senior cricketers; I was left to fend for myself. I would try and counter negative thoughts by playing with my son who was born in May 2013,” Trivedi reminisced. “It was the worst period for my family and me.”

After overcoming the initial shock, Trivedi had no ground or facilities to keep his bowling match-ready. “For two months, I was just shocked. Then once I decided to get back to cricket, I did not have any ground to bowl on, nor did I have proper facilities. So such a return was unexpected.”