tcrm_2013_4_13_10
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/28/2019 TCRM_2013_4_13_10
1/1
EDWIND'SA
TIMESNEWSNETWORK
Heis coy,softspokenandoftenstruggleswith
wordstoexpresshimself.But puthimon a
footballfield therivalpenaltyarea,tobe
preciseandWilliamLalnunfelasboots doall
thetalking.
Astop scorerinthe recentlyconcludedunder-20
I-League,whichhis teamPuneFCwon forthesecond
seasonrunning,the nineteen-year-oldjuniorfootballer
fromMizoramisdraftinganimpressiveCVfor himself.
AtPuneFC fortwoseasonsnow, thelankystrikerfrom
Mizoramhas scoredseventimesthisseason.Thisadds to
hisfeatof lastseasonwherehe hadtop-scoredfor PFC.
ButLalnunfelaisnotswayedby hislaurels.Heknows
wellthatthe journeyhasjustbegunandthe roadahead
istough.
Borntoa familyofcarpentersinKolasib,asmall town
inMizoram,Lalnunfelawas likeanyotheryoungsterin
hisneighbourhood.Hetookto playingfootball,themost
popularsport ofthe areaatthe ageoftwelve.But itcould
havebeenatotallydifferentstory.Lalnunfelaactually
startedoffasa keeperfor acoupleofmatches,a position
whichhedislikedandin afit ofpique,decidedtoplayas
striker.He turnedoutforlocalclub PuiPuifor two
seasonsandhiscapabilitiesin thefrontlinewonhima
berthinVengtharVC,the under-16villageteam.
It was during the Red Ribbon inter-village football
tournament that he was noticed by Pune FC talent
scouts and was among the lucky three selected from
Mizoram for advanced training at Pune FC with the
under-19 team.
Former Tata Football Academy head coach Ranjan
Chowdhury, and currently head of youth development
at Pune FC, who spotted Lalnunfela as a 17-year-old in
Mizoram is optimistic. He is certainly a very talented
player. Though he started out late in a span of two
years at Pune FC he has become very popular in Indian
football. He is a hardworking boy and I am confident
that very soon he will play for a big club in India, says
Chowdhury.
Hehasagoodbuildandasstrikerhehasagreat
senseofgoalscoringandknowshowto createspacefor
himself.Besideshe hasgreattemperament.All heneeds
isto improveontheclincialside,saysthe astute
Chowdhury.
ChiragTanna,headoperationsatPune FC,also
acknowledgestheyoungster'stalent.It isntoftenthat
youhavesomeoneasthe topscorerin theU-20I-League
fortwo yearsstraight.Williamisa talentedyoungplayer,
andwehope thathecan replicatewhathe hasdonewith
thejuniorteamwith theseniorteam,saysthe official.
The transition to the senior team is not an easy
one but if he continues to work hard there is no
reason why he cannot have a long and successful
career with Pune FC, says Tanna. On whether he
could be loaned out, Tanna isnt sure yet. If we need
to loan him out, we will discuss this with him, the
coach and the player, he adds.
Lalnunfelasonfieldstrengthsare hisspeedy
movementsandthe knacktocreatespaceforhimselfto
setup goal-scoringopportunities.Nevertheless,he
admitstohis shortcomings:I needtoimproveuponmy
finishingaswell,he sayswitha coylook.
Lalnunfelaknowsitsa hardroadaheadtoachievehis
longtermgoal playforIndia.And forthishes gladly
willingtogo throughthegrind.Evenif itmeanstwo
strenuoustrainingsessionsin asingleday.I definitely
wanttoplay forIndiasomeday.Thatsmy aim.I knowI
needtoworkhardforthatbutI knowIcanmakeit,he
says,suddenlyperkingup.
Williamisimpressedbythetrainingtechniquesat
PuneFCwhichhave helpedhimgreatlyduringhistwo-
yearstayhere.I havelearnedalotof thingshereatPune
FC.Thefacilitiesaregoodtoo, hesays.
And this has only hardened Lalnunfelas stance of
becoming a professional footballer even if it means
sacrificing his education midway, something which he
was serious about not too long ago. He has just
completed his twelfth standard in Mizoram and
looking at the options ahead he appears set to steer
away from further education and towards full
commitment to football.
Ihavejust finishedmytwelfthstandardbutnowI
don'tthinkI willpursuefurthereducation,he admits
shyly. Thisdecisionalsostemsfromthe factthathis
contractwas justrenewedfora periodoffiveyearswith
PuneFCand theclubintendsto loanoutits topU-19
playerstovariousclubs.Thismeansthat Williammay
nothavetimefor furthereducationif hehasto shifttoa
newclubin adifferentcity.
Likemostfootballerswith anosefor goal,Lalnunfela
adoresRealMadridstrikerCristianoRonaldoand like
mostfootballersfrom hisstate,he isa bigadmirerof
statemateShyloMamaMalswamtulunga.Currentlywith
Prayag,midfielderMamaisreveredby mostfootballers
fromthetiny,hill state,sinceitwas hisdecade-longspell
withthetop Indianclubsthatopenedthegatesfor other
youngstersfromMizoram.Hemovesso fastandhis
skillsaregreat,saysLalnunfelaofMalswamtulunga.
Afan ofcountrymusic,Lalnunfelaisreadyis toplay
foranotherclubonloan buthis loyaltiesremain
embeddedatPune FC.I amreadytoplay foranother
clubnow.Itsa challengeandI acceptit.Butsome dayI
wanttoplayfor PuneFCin theseniorI-League,hesays,
beforeaddingthat hewouldalsolike tofindhimselfin
theMohunBaganline-upsomeday,a teamwhichhehas
greatlyadmiredfromhis childhooddays.
He admits that he misses home sometimes and
does speak to his parents regularly on phone. But
during match days he does not call them before the
match. I want to concentrate before the match so I
call them only after the match to tell them the result,
even if we lose, he says.
Williammaynothavestartedsigningfatcontractsyet
buthehopesthat soonthroughhiscareerhe canmake
hisfamilyhappy.Hisfatheris acarpenterandmothera
housewife,andboth arepast50, soLalnunfelaishoping
thatsuccessatfootballwillhelphim takecareofthem as
theygrowolder.Iwant tomakethemhappyand take
careofthemin oldage.Thatsthemost importantthing.
It'sthereasonwhy Iscorethose goals,hesays.
BILL PENNIGTON
BubbaWatsoncriedonthefinalgreenafterhis
victoryinlastyearsMasters.Speakingatthe
defendingchampions customarynews conference
lastweek,Watsonwasin tearsagain.Later,asked
aboutthatnightstraditionalchampionsdinner,
Watsonconcludedthatifhe hadtospeak,Ill
probablycry.
BubbareduxtookmanyformsattheAugustaNational
GolfClub,notall oftheminvolvingsnifflesor sobs.Butthe
phenomenonthatisBubbaWatsonat theMasterskept
findingnewlegs.
Alongsidethe10thhole, scoresoffansweremakingthe
pilgrimagetoa shadyspotinthewoodsright ofthehole,
pointingandtalkingreverentlyasiflookingfora landmark
ata CivilWarbattlefield.Inthis case,theattractionwas an
unmarkedspotwhereWatsonsteeshotcameto restlast
yearbeforehehookedhisballaroundthetreesand ontothe
greentowinthe Mastersonthesecondplayoffhole.
Standingin thespot,everyonewantedto seewhatonly
Watsonvisualized.Thecavalcadeintothewoodshadsomewonderingif thereoughttobea plaquetomarkthesite.
Watsondidnotdisagree.
Whowouldntwanttoseea plaquethatsaysBubbain
themiddleofthepine straw?hesaid.Hethen addedthathe
wouldneverrequestsucha plaqueunlesshedid itagain
thisyear.
Then,yes,thereshouldbea plaque,hesaid.
Watsonhaswanderedoverto thespota fewtimesinthe
lastfewdaysas well.Hetookhis managerinto thewoods,
wheretheytookpictures.Hiswifedisappearedintothetrees
andtooka picture.Watsonplayedapracticeroundwith
RickieFowler,wholikeWatsonis oneoftheGolf Boysof
dancevideofame.
ButRickiedidntseemtoointerestedin goingoverto
thespot,Watsondeadpanned.
Otherplayershavemoseyedover.PadraigHarringtonwas
seentakingapracticeswing,mimickingWatsonsnear
miraculousshot ifright-handed(Watsonis left-handed).
AndWatsonsawtwopeoplestandinginthe woodsoffthe
10thhole.Hemotionedtothemthattheywere rummaging
aroundinthewrongplace.
Iyelled,No,thatsnotthe spot,itsa littleoverthere,
hesaid.I wasjustjokingwiththem,and theysawit was
me.Cometofind outitwas BillyCasperandhisson.Kind of
funny.
Casperisthe1970Masterschampion.
Sofar,everythinghascausedWatsontorecollectand
smilewell,almosteverything.
Earlyinthenews conference,Watsonwas askedtoname
themostinterestingthinghehaddonewithhis green
jacket.Watsonrepliedthatashe waspreparingforthepost-tournamentgreenjacketceremony,hesawan Augusta
Nationalmemberholdingone.
Iaskedif thatwasmy greenjacket,Watsonsaid.AndI
wastold,Yeah,andyouretakingithome.
At this point, Watson began to cry. Just before last
years Masters, Watson and his wife, Angie, had adopted a
baby boy, Caleb. Last week, after wiping away tears
several times, Watson added: I told him that I was going
to go home and wrap Caleb up in it. Thats the only thing
I did with it. Out of respect, out of honour. I didnt do
any of my funny antics that I normally would do. Only
thing I did was wrap Caleb up in it.
IfWatson,34, wasbeinghis routinelyemotionalself,he
alsowas happilyenjoyingeachmomentof whatcouldbe
hislast fewdaysas thedefendingchampion.(The Masters
wouldalreadybeinto itssecondroundby thetimethis
pieceappears.)Hecomesto theMastersnot playingespeciallywell.He
isranked42nd inthe FedExCupstandings,withjust two
top-10finishesthisseason. ButWatsonwasintoogooda
moodtobebroughtdownbythefactsofhisrecentplay.I
justlookat itas itsa differentyear gettingolder,
differentconditions,he saidwitha smile.Sowho knows
howIllplay?I couldmissthecut;Icouldwin.Butif youre
astats guy,youlookand say,Bubbaisnot playingasgood
aslast year.
Headdednonethelessthathewouldloveto becomethe
fourthgolfertorepeat,somethingonlyJackNicklaus,Tiger
WoodsandNickFaldohavedone.Butfirst,cognizantthat
thedefendingchampionisexpectedtohelpthenew
championintohis greenjacket,Watsonhasset an
intermediategoal.Iwantto makethecutbecauseIdont
wanttohaveto sitaroundfortwo daystogivesomebodythe
greenjacket,he said.Butifhe makesthecut,hesaid,anythingcouldhappen.
Heis BubbaWatson,theman whohitsnearmiraculous
shotsevenwhenseeminglycondemnedtogolfspurgatory.
Heis restrictedonlybyhis imagination.
Icansee mepullingitoff,he conceded.Itwouldnt
shockme.
Buthewas practical,too.
Iwouldstillcry,he said.Butit wouldntshockme. NYTNEWS SERVICE
AJIT BEZBARUAH
TIMESNEWS NETWORK
When Jasprit Bumrah bowled his first
delivery in this IPL, he was a little off the
mark. Virat Kohli was in front of him,
and he bowled the next three deliveries
with unsettled nerves. Bumrah was taken
to the cleaners but after conceding three boundaries in
the first four balls, he brought one back in sharply and
trapped Kohli right in front. That was it. After that he
kept His Majesty Chris Gayle quiet and bagged two
more wickets on that day. Suddenly, everybody was
talking about this slightly built boy, who with an
awkward, open-chested bowling action had taken the
cricketing world by surprise.
But people who have seen him from close for the past
two years knew that Bumrah, if not anything, had pace.
Playing for Gujarat in the U-19 category, he was making
waves during the Cooch Behar Trophy in the 2011-12
season when an excited Gujarat Cricket Association
(GCA) official called up the local media and asked them
to have a look at the youngster.
Rajeev Desai, who was Gujarats under-19 coach
during that period recalls: This boy was quick and
when I say quick, I really mean it. If someone can bowl
at close to 140kmph at 18, he has to be a special talent.
That most of his victims are either bowled or caught
behind the wicket is proof that he has pace. He also can
move the ball both ways but his incoming delivery is his
best weapon.
Hehasaveryslowrun-up,bowlswithanawkward
actionbutis veryquickin theair.Many batsmenhave
fallenpreytothis,saysDesai,adding,Heisawicket-
taker.Nomattertheamountofrunshegives,hewillalso
giveyouthose importantwicketswhenhe bowlsupfront.
A second-year student of HK Commerce College in
Ahmedabad, Jasprit is a little deceptive as far as his run
up or open-chested action is concerned because he
doesn't look like the conventional fast bowler in the true
sense. He is about 511, doesnt have a long run-up or
does not possesses a big leap or anything of that sort but
he uses his wrist to good effect, says Kishore Trivedi,
father of Saurashtra and Rajasthan Royals seamer
Siddharth Trivedi and Bumrahs coach at the Nirman
High School Cricket Coaching Centre.
When I first saw him, I wanted to do few things with
his action and run-up but he is naturally so talented that
I decided to leave him alone, says Trivedi, adding, And
as I can see, he was doing nothing wrong. His arms
remain straight in the swing and during delivery time
there are many bowlers in the world who have
unorthodox actions but Jasprit is fast and accurate, so
what more do you want. The coach adds that Bumrah
only started taking the game seriously after he attended
a summer camp when he was in Class X.
It comes very naturally to me so I find no difficulty in
bowling the way I do, says Bumrah.
Hestartedplayingata veryyoungageandwouldlove
allaspectsofthe gamebutthenhis interestinbowling
begantodevelopwhenhebeganunderstandingthe
nuancesof thegame.Wealwaysknew theactionandthe
pacewasdifferentthannormalbowlersofhis agebutyou
neverknowwhatthefuture heldsowe backedhiminevery
waywecould,says hissisterJuhikaBumrah.Juhikaand
motherDaljit,primarysectionprincipalatNirmanHigh
SchoolinAhmedabad,are thepillarsinJaspritslifeafter
thedeathofhis fathersomeyearsago.
Jasprit is very high on self-belief. It doesnt matter
if he gets whacked but he always believes in his ability
to come back and take wickets, says his Gujarat U-19
roommate Chintan Gajja who has spent a considerable
time on and off the field with the new pace sensation.
It was perhaps this self belief that helped Bumrah
come back and take the wicket of Kohli after being
thrashed for three boundaries off his first four balls on
his IPL debut.
Itwas formerIndiacoachJohnWrightwho firstspotted
Bumrahandpitchforkedhimintothe MumbaiIndians
squad.MumbaiIndianscoachJohnWrightwas talent
scoutinginAhmedabadduringtheWestZone T20sandhe
washighlyimpressedwithBumrah,revealsan MIinsider.
Iknew MrWrightwas watchingbutthatwas neveron
mymind.I justplayedmynaturalgame. AndthoughI
didn'tpicktoomany wickets,Ibowledprettywell atthe
death,saystheboy whotouched140kmphduring acamp
atthe NationalCricketAcademy(NCA)in Bangalore.
Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel also thinks that Bumrah
is a different bowler who has a bright future ahead of
him. He is pretty young but he is quick, has good
variety and bowls good yorkers. Bowling tight at the
death has been his specialty and he has done that pretty
well for us, says Patel.
All the sudden attention has not distracted the bowler.
Juhika is confident that Jasprit will not change much
because he is a very grounded person. Grounded or
not, if he keeps bowling the way he does, his cricketing
career is surely going to soar high.
SAIBAL BOSE
TIMESNEWS NETWORK
Rahul Shukla is a common name, but it isnt
one you would have often heard in cricketing
circles. In fact, it would come as a surprise if
you had heard about him before last week.
Thats when this stocky youngster from
Jharkhand, currently playing for Rajasthan Royals,
rocked Kolkata Knight Riders boat by dismissing their
Mr Dependable Jacques Kallis for a duck.
Kallis perhaps would have comfortably negotiated
Shaun Tait. However, the South African legend surely did
not bargain for this unknown quantity to hurl down a
delivery at almost the speed of Tait.
Shukla touched the 146 kmph mark and celebrated
as if he had the world in his pocket. And why not? After
all, it is not every day that you send back someone like
Kallis at the blink of an eye. Shukla said later that he
stuck to the plan of bowling at Kallis body and
delivering it fast. He stuck to what he had been told at
the team meeting and history is witness that the man
considered to be the best all-rounder of his time, wascaught off-guard.
In Rajasthan Royals, we groom talent and Rahul
Shukla is one of the players we are focusing on, skipper
Rahul Dravid had said before the tournament. During
the practice sessions, the skipper saw enough talent in
this unassuming youth to include him in the playing XI
for their opening match against Delhi Daredevils. Shukla
was nervous; after all, he had so far only dreamt of
playing on such a big stage. It was all for real now. This
nervousness turned into confidence when he dismissedMahela Jayawardene. Unknown Shukla, who had caused
a few raised eyebrows when the Royals named him in
their squad, had arrived. Just like fellow Jharkhand
bowler Varun Aaron, who had arrived on the scene with
scorching pace a couple seasons ago.
RahulandIhavebowledtogetheratthe U-19levelas
wellasin theRanjiTrophy,Aaronsays,Hewasalwaysgood.
Hehasgotthe rightopportunitywithRajasthanRoyalsand
thiswillbeverygoodfor him.Aaron,currentlyrecuperating
fromastressfractureonhisback,said.He addedthatheandShuklaalwaysbowledfastandtheycomplementedeach
otherasbowlingpartners:Hewas alwaysquickand
extractedquiteabit ofbitefromthewicket.
Dravidhasbeen workingonthe confidenceof this
youngpacer,tellinghimthat heis goodat hisjob. The
veteran,inhis gentleway,makesa youngsterlikeShukla
feelat homeinthe Royalsdressingroom.Shuklaagrees
thatthepresenceofDravidhasgivenhima hugeboost.As
Royals'little-knownwicketkeeperDishantYagniksaid,
Draviddoesntdifferentiatebetweenaveteranand a
rookie.Hetreats everyonewithequalrespect.For aplayerlikeShukla,thatis ahugethingandtheresultsare
alreadyshowing.EarlierShuklawas inthe Mumbai
Indiansranksin 2010,buthad hardlymadeanyimpact.
He is still not a regular in the Jharkand side, but last
weeks show against Bangalore and hopefully a few
more will follow is sure to earn him some respect in
the domestic circuit.
Our talent spotters were quite impressed with
Shukla, a Royals official says, As our aim is to give
more opportunities to local talent, Shukla fitted the bill
perfectly. Of course, bowling along with the likes of Tait
and Sreesanth will help him immensely. He has been
picking up tips from these two veterans, and that has
further added to his confidence.
Although pace is his forte, ask Shukla and he will tell
you that he bowls good yorkers and slower-ones too. In
fact, he has been working on these areas, which has
given him some additional variety. He would definitely
benefit by adding variety to his arsenal. Although he did
pick up two crucial wickets against Kolkata Knight
Riders, he gave away too many runs. Thats the flip side
of pace. You are good as long as you are getting your line
right. But, stray a little and you'll go for runs. Shukla
gave away 28 runs in the three overs that he bowled.
Even by T20 standards, thats expensive. Against Delhi
Daredevils, he gave away 27 runs in as many overs for his
one wicket. His economy rate in the tournament so far is
over 9, which can be considered a bit on the higher side.
He has worked up good enough pace, now maybe he
should start working on keeping the runs in check. And
maybe, also work on his fitness to ensure that like Aaron,he doesnt pick up injuries early in his career.
Althoughithas beenquitesome timesinceMahendra
SinghDhonilast playedforJharkhand,the veryfactthat
theIndiacaptainis arepresentativeofthe statehasgot
manya hopefuldreaming.Shukla toocan dareto dream
now.For the22-yearold, agoodperformancein the
ongoingT20tournamentcouldopenthe doorsfor better
thingstocome.WiththepaceslotsintheIndianteam
morelikemusicalchairs, Shuklacanfancyhis chances.
Bubba Watson remains the most unlikely winner in recent Augusta Masters memory. Thisyear, as the world of golf focuses its sights on Tiger Woods return, this little-knownchampion wants to savour the moment for as long as he can
At 19, William Lalnunfela is arguably Indias
hottest junior footballer. Top-scorer in the
under-20 I-League for the second year
running, the Pune FC striker says he scores
all those goals so that he can give his
parents a good life in their old age
In Pune, a Mizo sniper calls the shotsTwo unknown bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Shukla,hailing from cricketing backwaters, created an immediateimpact in the opening week of the IPL
BOOM, BOOM
BUMRAH!
Not just any face in the crowd
THE TIMES OF INDIA
The Crest EditionPLAY THE FIELD
SPORT10
INWITHASHOUT!Withhis
unusualopen-chestedaction,
Bumrahcan troublethebats-
menwiththe deliverythat
comesin
Spurred by success that Dhoni has tasted,Jharkhands Rahul Shukla decided thefastest way to the top was by bowling fast.It helped that he found a mentor in Dravid
WATCHOUT:Thepace isthere,
butShuklawoulddowellto
learntokeeptherunsincheck
GettyImages
MandarDeshpande
Green Jacket Watson
tugs at emotional chords
FATHERTOSON: AugustaMastersdefendingchampionBubbaWatsoncarrieshisson,Caleb,duringthePar3 Contestaheadof
the2013MastersatAugustaNationalGolfClublastweek.Watsonwastied-64thwithanopeningroundofthree-over75atthe
timeofgoingtopress
SITTINGPRETTY: Lalnunfelasheart
maybeatforPuneFC,butisopento
playingatotherclubsonloan