-Debasis Sen
Shivam Mavi made his international debut a memorable one in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede stadium on Tuesday night. Mavi returned with figures of 4/22 as India managed to get past the Lankans by a slender margin of 2 runs.
The 24-year-old gave India the first breakthrough, picking the wicket of Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, getting him bowled with a fantastic delivery. He got his second scalp in the following over, getting rid of Dhananjaya de Silva. Mavi broke the partnership between Hasaranga and Dasun Shanaka and finally picked Theekshana to finish off a brilliant show.
The fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh earned his India call after a string of good performances in Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mustaq Ali T20. He picked 14 and 10 wickets respectively in the two premier domestic tournaments.
Mavi has been troubled with injuries throughout his career so far. An ACL injury and a stress fracture saw Mavi away from cricket for almost a year. It also forced him to cut down on his pace temporarily, but he now seems to be back on track.
Mavi first came into limelight with his stellar show in 2018 U19 World Cup when he along with Kamlaesh Nagarkoti picked 9 wickets each to help India emerge as champions. Mavi was soon rewarded with an IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders when he was picked for INR 3 crores.
He had an ordinary start to his IPL career, picking up just five wickets in nine matches for KKR. The franchise backed him and even paid for his treatment when he was injured and did not release him. He failed to live up to his expectations due to which Knight Riders released him. He was brought by Gujarat Titans for 6 crore in IPL 2023 mini auctions held in Kochi.
Like most kids in India, Mavi started with batting, until his childhood coach asked him to take up fast bowling after getting impressed to see him bowl at the nets. Despite good performances at the U16 level, Mavi was surprisingly omitted from Delhi’s U16 squad, which triggered his move from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh.
Mavi’s career has seen its share of ups and downs already. The lows are largely to do with injury issues, a common factor in foiling the careers of many talented pacers. Now with a better injury management and disciplined routine, let’s hope Mavi take bigger strides in Indian cricket.