Australia are leaving no stone unturned in preparing for the spin challenge that lies ahead of them. The visitors have even roped in a net bowler who bowls like senior India spinner R Ashwin. Mahesh Pithiya has been the talk of the town since Cricket Australia dropped a video of him bowling to the Australian batsmen.
The youngster bowls just like R Ashwin and is doing his bit to prepare the visitors for their toughest challenge on the tour. It hasn’t been an easy road for Mahesh Pithiya. The right-arm spinner used to work at a tea stall and didn’t even have a TV set to watch live cricket.
Speaking to The Times of India, Pithiya revealed that he first saw Ashwin during the home series against West Indies in 2013. Ashwin was an established spinner back then and used to play all three formats regularly.
“Due to our financial condition, I didn’t have a TV set at home. I first saw Ashwin in action live on TV at a paan stall in our town during the India-West Indies series,” Pithiya told TOI.
“I worked at a tea stall in the Fatehgunj area for more than a year. My club helped in getting new cricketing shoes and some others generously donated cricketing gear. Playing cricket during the day and working in the evening was tough, but the struggle was worth it. My parents are very happy.”
Given the extra mile that Australia are going to prepare for India, it remains to be seen if the spinner will remain with the team during the series or not. Pithiya is capped in domestic cricket.
He made his T20 debut for Baroda against Andhra in October 2022. His Ranji Trophy debut came against UP in December last year. Pithiya has 8 scalps in four matches. Pithiya didn’t make it to the list of players up for grabs during the IPL 2023 mini-auction. But his spin left a mark on Australia and he is an integral part of their preparations.
