Former RCB pacer Abu Nechim hopes to don India colours one day

It’s rare to see cricketers emerging from the northeastern part of India and representing the country in cricket internationally. However, it doesn’t mean there is a dearth of cricketing talent in the region and of late, one name from the NE that is doing enough rounds in India’s cricketing circles is Abu Nechim. A former Under-19 World Cup player, Nechim is Assam’s only representative in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is in good touch in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament.

The 30-year-old fast bowler has picked up seven scalps in four matches in the tournament at an economy of less than seven. His 2 for 25 against Bengal at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Monday helped Assam register a 26-run victory and took it to the second position in Group D behind Karnataka.

Nechim, who represented Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL between 2010 and 2015 and played 17 matches overall taking 12 wickets, is not complacent with his individual performance yet.

“It can be better. I would say it has been good but not excellent. But as a team, we have done really well especially in the last two matches. Hopefully, the winning run will continue in the next three games,” Nechim was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

He made a big arrival in 2006 when he decimated England in the semi-final of the U19 World Cup semi-final in Sri Lanka by taking four for 14. That squad had names like Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara who are now big stars of Indian cricket.

Nechim got IPL stints but with little opportunities

Four years after that WC in which India lost in the final to Pakistan, Nechim was signed by the Mumbai Indians and he was with them when they won their maiden title. In 2014, Nechim shifted to RCB and stayed there for two seasons. He today regrets that he did not have much of opportunities during his IPL stint for MI but also realises that it was not easy for him to secure a place in the XI, given the line-up of bowlers they had.

The bowler, who has played 64 first-class and 48 List A matches with a tally of 220 wickets, said players like Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan helped him a lot when he was with the MI.

The man still harbours the dream of appearing for the Indian senior side, the only team he hasn’t played so far. Even at 30, the man is optimistic that the selectors might spot him if he goes on winning games for his home state.

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