IND vs SL: Shivam Mavi recalls his journey through the odds after dream debut for India

Following a dream T20I debut for India on Tuesday, rising fast bowler Shivam Mavi recalled his journey through the odds. Mavi ran through the Sri Lanka batting line-up to return figures of 4/22 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

His much-awaited call-up to the national team came after his tremendous run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022 where he picked up 10 wickets in seven matches for his state team Uttar Pradesh. However, his wait for the national team, started ever since proving his prowess at the U-19 World Cup in 2018.

After displaying his sheer pace in the U19 World Cup 2018, Mavi was touted as one for the future. Indian cricket greats like Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman were mighty impressed by him. He was bought by two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 3 crore in the same year. However, injuries and inconsistency troubled the 24-year-old from time to time, but Mavi lived up to the expectations on his debut for India.

“Was waiting for six years after playing U19. Had to work hard in those six years - got injured as well. For a while it looked like my dream will remain a dream. But I kept at it. Having played the IPL, the nervousness is a little less. My idea in the powerplay is to attack and get them out. Favourite dismissal was the first one, getting him bowled,” Mavi said after a tremendous performance on his debut.

Shivam Mavi lives up to the expectations on India debut 

In the match, where India needed something special with the ball, the young gun stepped up, and picked up four crucial wickets, giving away just 22 runs in his four overs. 

When the Lankan lions were running away with the game towards the backend of their innings, the Noida-born cricketer answered the captain’s call and gave India a much-needed breakthrough to bring them back into the game. He dismissed Wanindu Hasaranga (21 off 10) who was looking dangerous and with that, the momentum shifted in India’s favour. In the end, the Men in Blue emerged victorious as they managed to win the first T20I by two runs and eventually take a lead in the series. 

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