Indian Premier League has been providing launchpads for budding talents ever since it made a grand entry in 2008. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Hardik Pandya are a few among the many who have benefitted from the cash-rich league.
On Thursday, when the one-day and first-class teams for India 'A' tour of South Africa, starting July 26, were announced, the next batch of IPL stars who are considered bright prospects for the senior team was also revealed. Among the pacers in the OD squad was Kerala's Basil Thampi, who won the Emerging Player Award at the recently-concluded IPL season.
The 23-year-old speed gun, who was hardly able to express his joy after the selection news came out on Thursday, revealed that Sachin Tendulkar had told him after the IPL final that he would soon represent the country at the international level. Thampi added his conversation with the batting legend has been motivating him to perform better whenever he steps on the field.
"It [the meeting] was a moment for me to cherish as Sachin [Tendulkar] paaji called me and told me that he was following all my matches closely and how he thinks that I would play for the country one day. That conversation has had a lot of impact on me as each day I go into my training, more motivated and energised thinking that I need to live up to the Master's expectations," Thampi said, as quoted by Board of Control for Cricket in India's official website.
He added: "It is a dream come true for me and I am short of words to express how happy I have been since morning [Thursday]. My phone has been buzzing non-stop since morning with my family, friends and relatives calling in to congratulate me and send in their best wishes."
Despite taking four wickets on his first-class debut in 2014, success did not come easy for Thampi. The Kerala pacer has played only 11 matches for his state since the Ranji Trophy game against Goa in Wayanad.
Thampi also did not feature in all the matches for Kerala in the 2016/17 Ranji Trophy season. The youngster had played only six matches picking up nine wickets at 34.66. However, featuring in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy with the South Zone T20 earlier this year team helped him earn an IPL contract with Gujarat Lions.
The young pacer was expensive in the tournament, conceding at 9.49 but he earned praises of his teammates and cricket fans with his ability to bowl yorkers at will, which boosted his potency at the death. He picked up 11 wickets from 12 matches while troubling big names including MS Dhoni and Chris Gayle among others.
Thampi, who is currently training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, says he is ready to give his 100 percent with his new-found confidence in South Africa. Notably, India A, led by Manish Pandey in OD, play a tri-series involving hosts South Africa A and Australia A before the first-class side play two four-day games.
"My biggest takeaway from IPL has been the confidence that I have gained. I bowled to some world class hitters of the game and looked to contain them. Also, I learnt a lot in terms of expressing myself - on and off the field, how to react under pressure situations and be a bit more aggressive on the ground," Thampi added.
