New Delhi, Feb 23 – On February 17, after securing a narrow lead over Jammu & Kashmir, many believed Bengal were certain to reach the Ranji Trophy final. A strong second innings performance would have been enough for Bengal to compete against Karnataka for the title.
However, cricket is known for its unpredictable nature. Just as Bengal had achieved a 99-run innings, giving J&K a target of 126, which they successfully chased down to reach the final stage, starting in Hubbali on Tuesday.
Besides Auqib Nabi's impressive four-wicket haul, Sunil Kumar, his new-ball partner, also took four wickets, putting J&K in a commanding position to reach their first Ranji Trophy final. Now, facing Karnataka and their formidable batting lineup featuring KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair, and Mayank Agarwal, left-arm bowler Sunil is ready for the biggest game of his life, having gained confidence in Kalyani.
"It's been great to bowl with Nabi. There's no pressure when I bowl alongside him, as he takes care of everything. The way he bowls makes it seem like he's guaranteed to get a wicket on every delivery. When that happens, my job is to prevent runs from the other side, as they will eventually get out to him. I just need to contain the runs on our side," Sunil said.
Sunil believes Karnataka's bowling plan will be similar to what has worked throughout the season, and what dismantled Bengal in two sessions, something the J&K camp hadn't anticipated.
"The plan was simple: we wanted to get them out as quickly as possible. But we didn't think they would be out in one or two sessions. We thought that even if they got out in three or four sessions, we would have enough time to chase whatever total they posted," he explained.
"But as soon as we got the wickets quickly, we thought it would be easily chased down. The bowling plan was the same: we wanted to stick to our basic line and length, so that they would make mistakes. But we didn't think they would suddenly get out in one or two sessions," he recalled.
Sunil hails from Kathar, a scenic village 35 kilometers from Akhnoor district in the Jammu region. The son of an Army man, Sunil played with a cosco ball, as he fared better in cricket than his peers in the village, who believed he had the potential to make a career out of the sport.
"I watched a lot of India's left-arm pacers, like Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan. I really liked Irfan Pathan's bowling action, and I tried to copy it. So, by copying him, my bowling action became like this. I also liked the bowling of Dale Steyn and James Anderson," Sunil said.
When Pathan played for J&K as a player-cum-mentor from 2018 to 2020, Sunil had the chance to meet him. "I went for a trial, and that's where I met him. He asked me about my age and told me that I bowl well, and I have a lot of time," he said.
An inter-college tournament introduced him to leather-ball cricket. Trials followed, and then a talent hunt around 2021-22 brought him to the attention of J&K head coach Ajay Sharma. "Before I came to college, I used to play with a cosco ball. The first time I played leather-ball cricket was through an inter-college tournament, and that's where my journey started. Gradually, I came to know about trials and attended it. There, I realized that I could play cricket professionally," he said.
"Luckily, I also did well in the talent hunt, and we were selected for a T20 camp. Ajay sir was also there. I was the first one selected from the talent hunt. When Ajay sir was there, I was playing in the C or D team, and they put me in either of the two teams and asked me to bowl with the new ball. So, that's how it started, and I'm playing now because of that talent hunt. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have achieved anything," he said.
The commute from Kathar to the J&K Sports Hostel and Science College ground, where the JKCA camps were held, was a daily test of commitment. "I had to travel 65 to 70 kilometers via scooty, and if the camp started at 10 am, I had to leave at 8:15 am to reach by 9:45 or 9:50 am. If the camp ended at 2 pm, I would leave at 2:30 pm and reach home by 4 or 4:30 pm," he said.
His family, he says, never stood in the way. "I didn't play cricket just because I wanted to. My family knew that I play cricket. When you want to achieve something really good in a game, you don't want to get a return. You play for the love of the game," he said.
Bowling coach P. Krishnakumar, who has overseen J&K's pace attack for three seasons, identified Kumar early as a project worth investing in. "It's a very, very big thing for him. He comes from Akhnoor, which is a very small place. He didn't have a pitch to bowl on, and what he has done is that he has created a pitch in his own home. In the off-season, he calls and asks me for improving his bowling," he said.
"We discuss and I tell him to do this and that. When he started, he was more of an out-swing bowler. He never had a good in-swing, and I have developed his in-swing. I have developed his bowling from down the stick. So, whatever I could do, I have done with him. He is very calm, like Auqib, and is ready to work hard," he added.
"In the first year only of me coming here, in the lunch and tea sessions, we used to do specific skill sessions, and he also picked up very quickly, that's why he is performing. A bowler can only perform if there are many arrows in his quiver. Then only he can compete with that. If a batsman has more arrows, he will win, but if you have more than him, so you will win, and it's very simple," he said to IANS.
Sunil also acknowledged the role of Krishnakumar in his development as a bowler. "The coaching staff is very helpful. Krishna Kumar has done a lot of hard work in getting a lot of basic things right, which were previously bad for me.
"He has worked a lot on my mental side as well. He always says that the more you keep your basics right and the simpler your plans, the better it is. He has helped me a lot in the off-season to become a better bowler," he said.
In eight matches of this season, Sunil has claimed 29 wickets at an average of 15.1, including two four-wicket hauls and as many five-fors. His first fifer came in Jammu against Hyderabad, a moment he describes as the highlight of his first full-fledged domestic season.
"Playing in this season feels really good. This is my first season of playing domestic cricket, and the performances have been good, so I feel good about it. It was a very special moment to get my first fifer at our home ground and then get the second five-wicket haul against Himachal Pradesh in Amtar," he said.
At 28, Sunil speaks with the measured certainty of someone who has had to wait long enough to know what patience in sports really means. "If you really want to do well in this game, then you have to work on yourself with small improvements to be made every day.
"Even if you find it boring or basic and start to think 'what will even happen through it', you have to keep doing it. One day, God will give you the results, as he sees the hard work you put in every day," he concluded.