Shivam Mavi received his much-deserving maiden India call-up on Tuesday after getting selected for the T20I squad for the Sri Lanka series. It was the second big news for Mavi within a week as earlier he was bought by Gujarat Titans for INR 6 crore in the IPL mini-auction.
He first came into the limelight after his exploits with the ball in the 2018 U-19 World Cup but the persistent injuries pushed him back in the pecking order in the past few years. However, he performed well in the domestic circuits to get the attention of the selectors.
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Mavi was influential for Uttar Pradesh across domestic white-ball competitions this year, picking up 10 wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament and 14 scalps in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“I didn’t do anything different. I just worked hard in the nets. I know I can generate speed, so just concentrated on bringing variations into my bowling. It paid off as I became more consistent this year,” Mavi said.
“A lot of senior players in the Uttar Pradesh team helped me like Anureet Singh, Parwinder Awana, who is also from Noida. They taught me how to bowl, how to plan out things.”
Mavi’s U-19 teammates Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw got chances in the Indian team earlier as compared to the pacer but he said that a patient approach ultimately paid dividends for him. He also had to deal with injuries at the start of his career.
“It’s a great feeling and a proud moment to represent your country. Shubman and Prithvi made their India debuts before me but I knew it’s all about the right time. Every individual has his or her luck and time,” he said.
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In his formative years, Mavi started as a top-order batter but transformed into a genuine fast bowler under his childhood coach Phoolchand Sharma.
“I started as a batter but I also used to bowl at nets but later I noticed I didn’t have batting skills to become a proper batter. I started to realise after sometime that bowling suits me more than batting.
“Becoming a bowling all-rounder would be a better option for me,” said Mavi, who idolises South Africa pace great Dale Steyn.
Phoolchand Sharma was understandably ecstatic after Mavi’s India call-up.
“Shivam came to me when he was 10 years old. He started as a batter but he used to bowl occasionally at the nets and was a very aggressive bowler. He is a fighter and big match player. He plays very well under pressure,” Sharma said.
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