‘Ek ball karane do, please’ – From boxing rings to 147 first-class wickets: Bishworjit Konthoujam’s unlikely journey began with one order | Cricket news

NEW DELHI: When North Eastern Province’s Bishwarjit Kunthugam came into the attack during the Duleep Trophy quarter-final against Eastern Province, all eyes were on the batsman facing him – 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi.The expectations were clear. border. Big hits. Maybe even a few towering sixes.And Suryavanshi did exactly what many expected of him. After playing his first two balls, the young batsman hit the Manipur machine for two consecutive boundaries. He took over Konthoujam.But the 30-year-old had the last laugh.Shortly after suffering a quadruple, Kontujam dismissed Sooryavanshi, ending the young star’s stay at the crease. The player jumped into the air in celebration before receiving a salute from his teammates.For many viewers, it was just another wicket. But for Bishorejit, that moment was a reminder of how far he has come. Because before he started annoying players with a cricket ball, he was busy throwing punches in the boxing ring.

The occasional cricketer

Before he picked up a leather ball, Bishwarjit Kunthugam was wearing boxing gloves. jab. He crosses. Hook. uppercase letter.Boxing was his first love. He won medals in school and state-level competitions. He trained hard and dreamed of pursuing a career in the sport.But there was another game he enjoyed and that was cricket.Like many young men in India, Bishorejeet loved the game. However, play just for fun. Whenever he found a group of children playing cricket in his village, he wanted to join them.While walking through the streets of Batsoe Part IV, his residence in Manipur, if he saw young men playing cricket, he would often stop and ask: “Ek ball karane do, please” – let me bowl just one ball.He played cricket whenever he had time away from boxing training.“Cricket has always been my second love after boxing. But I never imagined that one day I would leave boxing and become a cricketer,” Bishorejeet told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“I give a lot of credit to Mr. Ronnell. Everything I am today is because of him. He saw something in me and pushed me towards cricket. Leaving boxing was never easy,” he said.

One conversation changed everything

Leshangthem Ronil Singh, secretary of the Manipur Cricket Association, first noticed Bishorejeet while he was playing with a tennis ball during a local match. The young boxer had never received formal training in cricket, but his bowling caught the attention of Ronnell.He had pace. He can move the ball. He had a natural bowling action.Ronnell was impressed and suggested that Bishworjit seriously consider cricket. Bishworjit took his time before making the decision. Then he decided to give the sport a chance. He put his boxing gloves aside and picked up a leather ball.That was the beginning of the journey that would eventually take him from the home grounds of Manipur to the Ranji Trophy and the Duleep Trophy.“I had never played cricket properly with a leather ball, so it was very difficult at first,” Bishorejeet said.“Boxing has taught me many things. It taught me how to fight, how to come back, and how to get up after falling. I needed all these things in cricket too. Leather-ball cricket was completely new to me, but slowly cricket became my everything.

Learn art Fast bowling

The transition from tennis ball cricket to leather ball cricket was not easy. The grip was different. The version was different. The ball behaved differently.Bishworjit had to learn everything from scratch. But the years he spent in boxing made him physically strong and mentally strong. He quickly adapted to the demands of fast bowling.After playing in local tournaments, Bishorejit started making a name for himself in Manipur. He represented the state at U-23 level before getting the big break he had been waiting for.He made his debut for Manipur First Class against Sikkim in 2018.And there was no looking back after that.

Wicket machine in manipur

Bishworjit made an immediate impact in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season. He finished as Manipur’s highest run-getter, taking 30 wickets in just eight matches. He was also among the top 10 wicket-takers in the country that season.Since then, he has become one of the most successful cricketers in the state.The right-arm pacer has played 48 first-class matches, 49 List A matches and 46 T20 matches. He has taken 147 wickets in first-class cricket, including three five-wicket hauls. He also has 66 List A and 46 T20 wickets to his name.He was also Manipur’s leading wicket-taker in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy.In the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he produced a memorable seven-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, against Nagaland.Bishworjit also took five wickets against Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in the Ranji Trophy.He became the first fast bowler from the North East region to take more than 100 first-class wickets and the second player from the region overall to reach this number. He was also the first player from the North East to take more than 50 wickets in List A cricket.Today, Bishworjit is the leading wicket-taker from the North East across all three formats.His journey also took him beyond India when he became the first Manipur cricketer to play for an English club, Tynemouth Cricket Club.

Bowling on the slopes and in the rain

Bishorejit’s journey was not easy at all. Before Manipur became a full member of the BCCI and entered major domestic leagues in India, the state had limited cricket facilities.For a fast bowler, finding a suitable place to train was a big challenge.Manipur also receives heavy rains for several months every year, making regular outdoor exercise difficult.Bishworjit and other young cricketers had to find their own ways to train.“We did not have much facilities before 2018. Manipur receives heavy rains from June to September, so training was very difficult,” he said.

“Sometimes we would train downhill because we felt that running uphill could help us build strength and generate more speed. After it rained, we would put sand on the wet areas to make the surface usable and then start bowling again.He says the situation has changed dramatically now.The BCCI has helped improve the cricket infrastructure in the state, as players now have access to better training facilities.“Things have changed a lot. The BCCI has done a great job for cricket in Manipur and provided us with much better facilities,” he said.“Life has become much easier for young cricketers now. They have facilities that we didn’t have when we started.”

Meeting with Vaibhav Suryavanshi

North East lost the quarter-finals of the Duleep Trophy, but Bishworjit still wanted to meet Sooryavanshi after the match.The 30-year-old walked towards the Eastern Conference dressing room and met the teenager. They smiled and shook hands.Bishworjit has been keeping a close eye on Sooryavanshi during his rise in the IPL, Under-19 World Cup and international cricket.“He is a very nice boy with a special talent. I have watched him in the Indian Premier League, the Under-19 World Cup and in the India national team. “The way he hits the ball is unbelievable,” Bishorejit said.“But I also told him that red-ball cricket requires patience. You have to give yourself some time at the crease.”Sooryavanshi showed his attacking style by hitting Bishworjit for two boundaries before the fielder got the wicket.For the Manipur player, it was a small example of the difference between white-ball and red-ball cricket.“He had a lot of time to bat. That’s the difference between red-ball and white-ball cricket,” Bishorejeet said.“In red-ball cricket, patience is very important. You can’t play every ball the way you play in white-ball cricket. We talked about cricket and exchanged some ideas,” he said.