The Bengaluru Blasters-Hubli Tigers Maharaja Trophy game turned out to be all about Manvanth Kumar. The young all-rounder composed a quick-fire 15-ball 28 for Hubli and then he bagged a four-for. If you wondered whether his heroics in that match was confined to those two performances, then you were wrong. The game needed as many as three Super Overs to break the deadlock and it was yet again Manvanth who rose to the occasion by cracking a couple of boundaries, including the winning shot to steer his side to a spine-tingling victory.
The way Manvanth always seems to be in the game – be it with the bat, ball or in the field – makes you think of an English all-rounder, who also happens to be a successful captain. As it turns out, Manvanth is inspired by the all-rounder’s charisma and skills. “I like Ben Stokes, the kind of role he plays for the team. I like his mindset, how he keeps getting the breakthroughs when the team needs it the most,” he told RevSportz.
If you go deeper into his bowling performance in that match, it can be noticed that he has the required qualities to scale higher peaks. If Shubang Hedge was done in by a delivery that bounced extra, then the experienced Mayank Agarwal was dismissed by a peach – the ball angled in before leaving a stunned Mayank to catch the edge.
Manvanth doesn’t just have the traditional skill-set of a pace bowler as he also developed the knuckle ball. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he is currently the Purple Cap holder with 15 scalps. In fact, last year too he had ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the competition with 22 wickets. Manvanth, however, isn’t resting on his laurels and is eager to learn from his senior colleagues and coaches.
With Mansur Ali Khan and Vinay Kumar in the coaching staff, and Manish Pandey as the captain, Manvanth has the right kind of people to look up to. “Vinay sir, MAK sir, they are all Ranji Trophy coaches. Vinay sir had called me over for the Mumbai Indians trials. MAK sir also gives me advice, how I can do this or that better. Then there is Pandey bhai. His captaincy is such that he is very patient, doesn’t put pressure on anyone. He tries to keep it simple.
“Previously, I wasn’t nailing the yorkers accurately. So, this year, I have improved on landing the yorkers. Also, how to be mentally strong in different situations, how to make a comeback if you get hit, how to remain patient, all these things I have learnt,” he observed.
Long ago, Manvanth had started his cricketing journey after watching his elder brother and father play the game. Soon, he took it up seriously. An anecdote gives an indicator about his love for the game. “Once I fell from the compound and hurt my hand. I picked up both the bat and ball and took them to my room and closed the door.”
Obviously, that kind of childishness has now been replaced by maturity beyond his years. But his passion for cricket can be seen through how involved Manvanth is in every facet of the game.