RANCHI: In the lead-up to the Ranchi Test, as Joe Root was working on his game in the nets with spin bowling consultant Jeetan Patel, among a couple of local spinners bowling to him was 21-year-old off-spinner Ritesh Keshri. Root was constantly trying to use his feet, sweep and step against the spinners, and Keshri was one of the few to trouble him a bit.
A day after the Test got over, Keshri was at the Sonnet Cricket Club, training under Ashif Haque Ansari. It is the club where Robin Minz, the latest IPL generation from Jharkhand, honed his skills over the years.
Keshri's eyes lit up when asked about the experience of bowling to Root in the nets. “His defence against spin is really good; he can sweep and step out as well, and I got him out once or twice. I learnt a lot from bowling to Root, Washington Sundar, and bowling alongside R Ashwin,” he says.
It was not the first time Keshri had bowled to Root. In fact, he was a part of the net bowling group during the ODI World Cup and had bowled to England, Sri Lanka, and Indian teams at the time.
Hailing from Ranchi, the youngster was inspired by the 2007 T20 World Cup triumph. Keshri’s parents, who run a vegetable shop, admitted him to the RC academy, but soon he had to stop because they were unable to afford the fee.
“Mohammed Wasim sir heard about my situation and made it free for me to practice. Once everyone got to know about me, they all helped. Five years ago, Madan Lal Cricket Academy (Uttrakhand) had a selection trial where I got selected. I got free food and accommodation. I trained there and got the scholarship. And Asif had a big role to play. Once Sonnet Club was opened, I moved there to train under Chanchal Bhattacharya sir and Asif,” said Keshri.
As Keshri continues to pursue his dream, what has aided him in keeping the fight alive is the help from people in the fraternity.
Whether it is Dhaval Pranab, who selected him as the net bowler for IPL teams and the Test match, or Jharkhand first-class cricketers Nazim Siddiqui and Kumar Devrath, who were impressed by his talent during the Ranji Trophy camps and helped Keshri get a sponsorship from DNine Sports (of India cricketer Deepak Chahar) and Mehmosh Foundation (run by Mazz Aman), they have all played a significant part in keeping the youngster’s dream alive.
At 21, Keshri is dreaming of breaking into the state team over the next year and then taking it from there. “First, I want to play for Jharkhand and win matches for them, that is my goal. Hopefully, it will happen this year,” he signed off.