Kulwant Khejroliya’s journey from waiting tables to turning tables

Delhi pacer Kulwant Khejroliya (right) took six wickets in the semifinal against Bengal.

Kulwant kaun? A befuddled Atul Wassan remembers looking around with a hint of exasperation and asking his colleague about this wiry left-arm seamer who had landed for trials in the run-up to Delhi’s forgettable 2016 Ranji season. His presence intrigued the chief selector even more as he knew the remaining bowlers who had assembled at Feroz Shah Kotla that morning, having watched them from close quarters in junior cricket. The veil of mystery dissipated after a junior selector told Wassan that the bowler in question was included in the trials at the behest of the then captain Gautam Gambhir.

Kulwant Khejroliya is a product of Sanjay Bharadwaj’s fabled cricketing nursery — the LB Shastri Academy — where Gambhir had played his cricket before breaking into Delhi’s Ranji team 18 seasons ago. Even after all these years, the senior pro was a regular here, and it was during one such visit in the off-season that Bharadwaj apprised him of the left-arm seamer.

“We had no clue who he was. All the others at the trials were either either from U-19 or U-23 levels, but this guy was not in the junior circuit, and only later did we come to know that Gambhir wanted him in the trials after facing him in the nets at the LB Shastri Academy,” Wassan said.

Kulwant impressed Wassan and the other selectors at the trials with his pace and his ability to move the ball. They came to share Gambhir’s excitement, but were a tad apprehensive of blooding him into the senior team right away. “We liked what we saw at the trials, and knew Gambhir was a good at spotting talent. But we did not want to expose him to the rigours of four-day cricket, as he had no prior experience of playing competitive cricket at any level,” he added.

Kulwant, consequently, was not included in the Ranji Trophy squad last season. Instead, the team management made him travel with the team, using his services in the nets. It helped him settle down. He would finally make his much awaited List A debut during the subsequent Vijay Hazare Trophy. This was followed by an IPL contract that year when Mumbai Indians acquired him for a base price of Rs 10 lakh at the auction earlier this year.

Big-match temperament
A regular in the Delhi Ranji XI this season, Kulwant showcased his big-match temperament and supreme fitness levels in the semi-final against Bengal in Pune, prising out six wickets in the match and paving the way for the team’s entry into their first Ranji Trophy final in a decade. Bowling at sustained pace, the left-armer proved to be the perfect ally to Navdeep Saini, his fast-bowling partner. What added gloss to his efforts was that he had managed to achieve this in the absence of Ishant Sharma. “He really stepped up for us in the semis. It was a whole-hearted effort and the manner in which he teamed up with Saini, proved to be instrumental in setting up this win. Our two young fast bowlers were relentless and exerted pressure from both ends,” Wassan explained.

Following his exploits in Pune, social media was inundated with congratulatory messages for the 25-year-old. Kulwant, though, is taking his success in his stride. “I did not have a great start to the season. I did get the odd wicket, but it was only in the semi-final that I finally managed to get into my groove. Mujhe maloom tha ki aisa mauka shaayad nahi milne wala,” Kulwant said.

Growing up in a lower middle-class family in Rajasthan’s Churi Ajitgarh, a region famous for havelis, meant academics would be his priority. So, when he attended the U-19 trials in Mandhawa, he did not get the approval from his parents. They were keen to see his son complete his B.Com. He budged. After couple of failed attempts at clearing the competitive railways examination, a dejected Kulwant went to Goa, where he worked as a waiter, serving tables in a restaurant for close to six months. It was on a friend’s insistence that he gave up his job and made the trip to Bharadwaj’s academy in 2015.

For all the brouhaha over Kulwant’s burst this Ranji season, his initiation into cricket had come pretty late. But the left-armer is more than willing to make up for the lost time. Working under the watchful eyes of captain Ishant Sharma and Manoj Prabhakar, his bowling coach, has done a lot in instilling confidence. But Wassan reckoned the pacer is not a “finished product” yet. “Despite his efforts in the semis, these are still early days for him. Manoj has worked hard with him and has added a lot of value. But in terms of temperament and fitness, he still has some way to go. He has to play a lot more to withstand the rigours of four-day cricket. I believe he is still not a finished product as we will get results only after he plays three full seasons,” Wassan added.