For someone who hails from a remote hamlet, making it to the top is anything but easy. Ask Ashok Dinda and he’ll only agree. For the Bengal pacer, who comes from Noichunpur in Midnapore, nothing came on a platter. His is a story of toil and sweat. And all that hard work has finally paid off. Dinda finally made his India debut in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium on Wednesday.
And the right-arm pacer wasn’t just a spectator. Dinda made his presence felt in his very first over when he gave India the breakthrough by showing Sanath Jayasuriya the door to the pavilion.
Mentored by former Bengal cricketer and coach Atal Deb Burman, Dinda never looked back after switching base to Kolkata at the age of 14. Burman was particularly instrumental in shaping up Dinda’s career. “He came to Kolkata with his uncle and the moment I saw him, I had a bizarre sensation. I felt he would make it big one day,” Burman told DNA from Kolkata.
Dinda stayed at Burman’s house for four years and honed his skills at the Russa United Cricket Coaching Centre in Tollygunge before earning a Bengal berth.
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