IPL earned me the place: Dinda

MUMBAI; Ashok Dinda is the new kid on the block. The Bengal medimpacer, who drew attention during the last Ranji Trophy and came to fore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while turning out for the Kolkata Knight Riders, seems to have pushed himself closer to the dream of playing for the country when he earned his first Rest of India call-up for the Irani Trophy on Monday. “It needs no mention that I am more than happy,” he told the DNA.

The 24-year-old quick, who captured 45 wickets in his 16 first-class matches and nine in the 13 IPL Twenty20 ties, feels that both have contributed to his selection for the RoI squad.

“I think the IPL performance mattered the most, but few of my performance in the last edition of the Ranji Trophy also got noticed by the selectors,” he said.

Hailing from Naichanpur village on the outskirts of Kolkata, Dinda was spotted by a Kolkata Maidan coach Atal Dev Burman. It was Burman who suggested Dinda to stay at his house in the southern part of the city and hone his skills.

“A lot of credit goes to Atal sir, who helped me in every possible way,” Dinda felt. Last but not the least, Dinda still doesn’t think that he has achieved what he wanted. “Playing for the country is the ultimate goal for me, let see…,” Dinda said