When left-arm spinner Sidak Singh came to the city of dreams from Varanasi a decade ago to pursue cricket, little did he know that he will not be able to achieve success here, and instead would find the spring to his career somewhere else.
Once touted as one of the brightest future prospects in Mumbai, the 19-year-old cricketer has finally found his moment in the limelight, albeit for a different team.
Playing as an outstation player for Puducherry in the U-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy, Singh picked up all the 10 wickets in an innings against Manipur in Puducherry on Saturday.
His extraordinary bowling figures of 17.5-7-31-10 saw Puduchery bundle out Manipur for 71 in 39.5 overs in the Plate Group. The hosts, meanwhile, had taken a 34-run lead before being dismissed for 105.
"It was a good wicket for batsmen. Every team has three to four professional players, and so did Manipur. The others, though, were okay. They gave away their wickets under pressure," an honest Singh told DNA.
However, despite downplaying his feat a bit, Singh knew the value of it.
"It is a big thing for me. I was in Mumbai U-23 probables, and I left it to play for Puducherry. Thus, there was some pressure and I had to prove myself about whether I made the right decision of leaving Mumbai," he added.
The youngster said that the 10-wicket haul wasn't in his mind, although he had already picked up seven wickets on the second day on Friday.
"One cannot just think that it will happen." Singh said. "I didn't go with the thought of taking 10 wickets. I just kept to my basics. Our coach Abdul Jabbar, who has played first class cricket for Tamil Nadu, told me to keep the ball outside the off-stump. I just did that and I was lucky to have got them."
There were neither extraordinary celebrations in the middle nor in the dressing room, revealed a soft-spoken Singh. "It was a happy moment and people appreciated it. That's it," he said.
This is not the first time that Singh has got a bagful of wickets. In 2014 while playing for Mumbai in the U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy against Maharashtra, he missed out on an all-10 by one wicket.
Interestingly, Singh also holds another special record. At 15, he became the second youngest player after a 14-year-old Sachin Tendulkar to play for Mumbai. He made his state debut in the West Zone T20s and ended up taking six wickets in seven games.
As a promising 19-year-old, Singh was in a dilemma about switching to Puducherry from Mumbai this year.
"Yes, it was a tough call. Especially, when I did not have enough time to think over it. They wanted an answer in two days, whether I would be ready to play as a guest or professional player. I had no option but to say yes to them as they promised me a good run to play in Ranji Trophy," said Singh.
To make matters tougher for him, he had no one who he could call his mentor.
"Main advice leta toh kisse? (From whom would I have taken advice?) I didn't have anyone to consult with. Thus, I had to take the decision on my own and I backed my instincts. With a guranteed run, I can play freely," Singh, whose parents live in Varanasi said.
The youngster has been previously called a couple of times for suspect bowling action but has since bounced back.
"There was a lot of pressure, but I didn't want to give up because cricket was my passion. I worked a lot on it and finally succeeded," he said
N Zone
10 No. of wickets Sidak Singh took in one innings for Puducherry agianst Manipur in U-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy
Did You Know?
Left-arm spinner Sidak Singh has played 7 T20s for Mumbai before shifting his base to Puducherry as professional player this year
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