A young net bowler, Praharsh Parikh, who was part of Lancashire's Under-17 team would never forget the eve of India versus Pakistan match in the 2019 ICC World Cup. He had dismissed MS Dhoni in the net session ahead of an important clash.
It wasn't a caught dismissal, but Parikh managed to beat Dhoni and bowled him with a top-spin delivery. The ex-India captain tried to cut him but ended up getting beaten due to the low bounce as the ball went under his bat to hit the off-stump.
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Parikh, who also has been part of the Rajasthan Royals' junior program, recalled the moment which he will cherish forever. "It was amazing. It was a memory of a lifetime. He was taking singles to my previous deliveries so I thought it might be useful bowling a flipper and hopefully beating him on the outside edge. After I bowled him, I didn't really know what to do, whether to celebrate or not. During net bowling, I have got various players out from different teams, but the wicket I will cherish for a lifetime is Dhoni's," Parikh told Hindustan Times.
The spinner had got a chance to meet Dhoni before but he never bowled to him until the net session at Manchester. "I was a net bowler in the 2019 World Cup, so I have fortunately met quite a lot of cricketers. But I think the moment that stood out for me was when I met MS Dhoni, and when I talked to Hardik Pandya in Hindi. Also, I met Ashwin in the Trafford Centre in 2014 when India played at Old Trafford. In 2018, during a Rajasthan Royals net bowling session, I had the opportunity to talk with Jos Butler and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation," he said.
Parikh named his favorite cricketers and he also revealed R Ashwin is his bowling idol. The budding cricketer has learned a lot from Ashwin by watching him bowl closely. "MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jos Butler are my favorite cricketers," he said.
"Ashwin is my bowling idol. He is someone I watch closely to learn about his action, tactics, and variations e.g., the carrom ball. I remember when he became my idol. It was after a test match, where he set up a batsman perfectly. He was bowling on a middle stump line and the ball was turning into the batsman’s pad. And then on the 4th ball of the over, he bowled a straighter ball which hit the off stump. I thought that it was an incredible show of his skill," he added.
(With Hindustan Times Inputs)
