NOIDA:
Shivam Mavi's next big outing will be in the Indian Premier League. And should he makes it to the playing eleven of the Kolkata Knight Riders, he is determined to give a taste of the 'Noida Express' to cricket's big boys.
Noida boy Mavi, an integral part of the potent pace attack of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning team, returned home on Wednesday to a rapturous welcome. Coming back a World Cup winner wasn't the only difference. The boy who left for the tournament in New Zealand was known for raw pace, the boy who returned has had his first lessons in the fine art of swing. He is a more complete cricketer.
The ligament injury before the tournament, he believes, actually benefited him as it helped him get the in-swing because of his slightly altered body movement. "Earlier, I could not swing the ball. Now, I can do that and the pace has slowly increased too. So, it is a plus for me," said the 19-year-old, whose fastest ball in the World Cup clocked 146kmph. He now aims to take that up to 150kmph, certainly not something his
IPL opponent would look forward to.
But Mavi insists it's domestic cricket where he will put most of his focus, as advised by coach Rahul Dravid and other seniors. "IPL comes every year but it is the domestic games on which the selectors are focused. IPL is franchise-based but domestic games are the main thing. If we are playing well throughout the domestic seasons for a year or two, we can be a part of the national team," said Mavi, who became part of IPL after being snapped up by KKR for Rs 3crore.
Speaking about his experience of playing in World Cup, he said he considered the quarterfinal against Bangladesh the turning point for the team when they started feeling they could win the tournament. "Five-six players of our side were injured during the Asia Cup and we suffered a defeat at the hands of Bangladesh. So, we prepared well for the quarterfinals because we wanted to defeat them at any cost. After that, we felt we can win the Cup," he said.
Mavi said he also been advised to focus on his batting so that he can develop into an all-rounder, adding he sees Hardik Pandya as "competition". "Hardik Pandya is our only bowling all-rounder. But I will focus on my game. If I think about him, it is not going to help in any manner," he said.
But unlike some of his other team-mates, the shy paceman may not be spotted on social media that often. "Yes, they are active on social media. I am there too, but not too active. My nature is different," he said.
Shivam Mavi
