For any cricketer – whether a big gun in the international circuit or some young blood in the domestic arena – getting an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract is like icing on the cake. It turns the tastiest when you get picked by MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. Cricketers desire to play under Dhoni’s leadership and learn from the legend himself. One such fortunate individual was Ajay Mandal who had the prized opportunity to share the dressing room with Dhoni and several other big guns.
Mandal represents Chhattisgarh in domestic cricket, a state that’s gradually making its mark in India’s vast cricketing landscape. The 27-year-year all-rounder has scored more than 1000 runs in First-class cricket and is the first native player of the state to pick 100 wickets in the longest format. Roped in by CSK in the mini-auction at his base price, Mandal didn’t get a game this season but played a crucial role in the nets.
Prior to the first qualifier in Chennai, CricketNext had reported how Mandal bowled relentlessly to the likes of Dhoni and other batters, getting them prepared to face a spin-rich Gujarat Titans bowling attack.
Days after winning the trophy in his first IPL season, News18 CricketNext spoke with Ajay Mandal who shared his experience of spending two months with Dhoni & Co
EXCERPTS
Where were you during the auction? How did u get to know that u have been signed by the CSK?
We were in Delhi for a Ranji Trophy game against Services. I was roaming around the Karol Bag Market when I got the call from the CSK management that I’d been picked.
How did your parents react?
It was very surprising for me and my parents as well. So, the feeling was very good.
Your first day in the CSK camp… how was it? Were you nervous?
I was a bit nervous and full of excitement at the same time. When I saw Mahi bhai, and Jaddu bhai and realised that I’m going to share the dressing room with them, I felt really happy then.
You shared the dressing room with giants like Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Ben Stokes to name a few. Being an uncapped and of course, the newest one… how much difficult or easy was it to get along with them?
I didn’t find it difficult actually. They gel up really well. Be it in practice or communicating with each other, they were really very helpful. For example, they would respond very well if I reach out to either Jaddu bhai, Moeen bhai or even Ben Stokes. So, it’s like I can speak to them about anything related to cricket. It goes quite smoothly and pretty well.
How often did you speak with Dhoni? Tell us something about his influence in the dressing room.
I’ve to say that his aura is awesome. People love to cheer for him whenever he walks out to bat, even during the nets session. Whenever we trained, he often came and asked me to bowl like this or bat like that. He was never shy of giving advice which is now very crucial for me.
You are often confused when you are new to a tournament like IPL. Just because it’s a different ball game altogether. It’s completely different from domestic cricket. So, I got to learn from him about the kind of mindset you need to have when you are going to perform at such a grand stage.
Jadeja gifted the bat with which he scored the winning runs. How did it happen?
I would like to tell you the background story. A month prior to the final, I said to Jaddu bhai, “At the end of the IPL, i want a bat (I need a bat).” And he agreed. Cut to the final that we won. We were in the dressing room and he called me, “Mandal, idhar aa (Come here).” He was packing up his kit bag, took out the bat and asked me, “Is bat ka pick up kar kar, mujhe thoda bhaari lag raha hai (check this bat out, I feel it’s heavy).” So, I held it, checked it and said that the pick up is very good. So, he said, “Theek hai, rakh le ise tu (Keep it then).” It was the same bat with which he scored the winning runs and I felt so good.
Being a left-arm all-rounder, you had a star in Jadeja to share the dressing room with. What all did you learn from him in the past 2 months?
I’ve been following him for the past 7-8 years. If you see his work ethic, he gives his hundred per cent be it batting, bowling or fielding. Also, he is one of the top all-rounders in the world. And when it comes to helping his juniors, he is always open to it. Sharing a dressing room with such a star is a great thing and whatever I learned from him; I kept asking him things and he explained them very well. So, all of those inputs are going to help me in my career going forward.
You guys lost 5 games this season. What used to be the discussion after every loss? How did the captain deal with the under-performers, especially the bowlers who had leaked too many runs?
You must have noticed one thing, Mahi bhai doesn’t shuffle players too much. It’s not like he will put the player out of the XI if he underperforms. Instead, he backs that individual who’s unable to perform at the moment. And this goes on throughout the season. And as far as the losses are concerned, nobody plays to lose. T20 is such a format where the margin of error is less. If you got a bad over or a couple of poor deliveries, the result will shift toward your opposition within seconds. So, it all went like that. You just need to pick those tiny moments and own them.
You didn’t get a game this season. Did that bother you ever?
I had a clear thought that if I’m making my debut, I’ll definitely give more than 100 per cent on the field. And if not, then I must keep my work ethic intact, keep doing well in the nets and train well. So, I wasn’t bothered about not getting a game because there was a lot to learn about, especially when you see so many big players in action in front of you.
How was working with the legends like DJ Bravo, Mike Hussey and Stephen Fleming?
I had a great bond with all of them, especially Hussey. Batting ke maamle mein meri unse bahot achhi banti thi (I gelled quite well with him). He has batted lower down the order for Australia and then opened the innings for CSK. So, I kept on asking about his approach when he was a player.
From Bravo, I got to know how a fast bowler thinks while bowling in death overs. He has mastered that art and input from him could help me as a batter to analyse a situation like that.
And working with Fleming also helped me a lot. He doesn’t talk much about skillsets but appreciates the players for their potential.
You made your debut for CG in 2016; since then, you’ve been a crucial cog in the team. Tell us about your journey with CSCS and CG cricket.
It’s been phenomenal. I’ve played in every age group for Chhattisgarh – right from Under-16 to the senior level. Back in 2016, we got the BCCI affiliation and the same year I made my debut under Mohammad Kaif. So, it was a great learning curve for me. I was 20 at the time of my debut and Kaif bhai played a great role in improving my bowling. He is the reason that I’m an all-rounder today. And I’ll always be thankful to CSCA who have helped me and backed me even in my lows.
It’s been 7 years since CSCS got affiliated with the BCCI as a full member and you too have been part of this journey. How has it flourished in all these years?
Chhattisgarh has done pretty well in the past years. In fact, we have defeated big teams in the domestic circuit across formats in the recent past. We even qualified in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quarters. So, we are improving with time. We have talented guys coming in from the U-19 level and the current senior lot has also got the potential and performing consistently. Improvements have been there and we’ll keep going.
You have over 1000 runs in FC cricket, you are the first player from the state to pick 100 wickets as well. And now an IPL champion. How big is this win for you as a budding cricketer?
If you have played a certain number of matches already, that experience comes in handy when you enter a tournament like IPL. Because the playing conditions are more or less the same and you are confident when you are out there on the field. And CSCS has been backing me throughout my journey. So, it always feels good when you achieve a milestone like this.
Your aspirations for playing for India. Do you dwell on it much?
It’s an ongoing process. I’ll make sure that whatever chance I get; I make the most of it. Will try and give my best, be it in the domestic circuit or in IPL.