Maharashtra pacer Shrikant Mundhe, 27, had always dreamt of taking all the 10 wickets in an innings. It finally came true on Saturday but in an English league.
The Parbhani-boy, turning out for Colwyn Bay Cricket Club, got 10 for 85 in an innings to destroy Birkenhead Park CC's batting in the Liverpool Competition Premier League at Penrhyn Avenue, Wales.
With this, he entered the history books becoming the first bowler to achieve the feat in this tournament. He eventually becomes the 17th league player to claim all-10 since 1920.
Mundhe starred with the bat too, scoring an unbeaten 44 and guided his team to a thrilling one-wicket win.
"It would have been great if I would have got an all-10 in India," he told dna from England.
"It is good to be in the history books. Your name has been written in history, it is something you have achieved and no one is going to take it away. I work hard and it is the reward for the same," Mundhe said.
Mundhe hasn't gotten over it yet. "I remember how I took each and every. I will remember it through out my life. I can still relive that moment. I have always dreamt of taking 10 wickets in an innings."
Going into the details of his feat, Mundhe said: "I got my first wicket in the first over. Then it took some time to get the second wicket. There was a partnership going on, but finally I got my second in the sixth or seventh over. My plan was to bowl maximum dot balls. Having played first class for so long, I knew how to take five-wicket hauls. I knew they would go for shots hence, I started going wickets. Once I got the eighth, I started thinking about an all-10 and that is how I got it."
This may be Mundhe's first all-10 but he has come closer to achieving the feat a few weeks back. "It was against Cockermouth CC. I had got eight wickets. I was close there. I got a wicket off a no-ball and on another the fielder dropped a catch, otherwise, I would have got it then," he said.
Mundhe said he couldn't sleep well after he achieved that feat. "I had bowled 25 overs back-to-back and then the excitement of taking an all-10. The whole team had dinner," he said.
The 27-year-old had been receiving calls for three days. "It is a nice feeling when your efforts are recognised. This will only motivate me to work harder. I called up my parents in the evening after the all-10. They were happy and proud," he said.
The commerce graduate said the life for a professional cricketer is tough outside India. "I have developed an accent here. People assume that I do it purposely but I get used to it as I am surrounded by locals all the time and there are only few Indians here. You have no option but to talk like them so that they understand. It gets lonely sometimes but you need to know the way out or else you will get homesick," said Mundhe, coaches to school students in free time.
"It is true when people say that a cricketer should play in England as a professional to learn about the game because you are dependedent on yourself completely here," he added.
The all-rounder has been a regular feature in the Maharashtra Ranji team and has also been part of the IPL playing just one game for the Pune Warriors in 2011.
"That game was rained out. It's good to have performances when you return home. You learn new things and it is good for confidence. After returning to India, it will be as usual. I won't be taking any thing for granted and do what I have been doing for years and become a better player with every passing year." he added.
