Ranji Trophy 2015: In his father’s footsteps, Mihir Hirwani takes a stride

Madhya Pradesh’s Mihir Hirwani finished with a nine-wicket match haul against Baroda.

On his first-class debut last season, Mihir Hirwani barely got a chance to bowl. Jalaj Saxena and Ankit Sharma, the senior spinners in the Madhya Pradesh team, had shared 51.1 overs between them and spun a web around the Jammu and Kashmir batters. Mihir was used for four overs in the first innings but he took two wickets.

Still he got only one over at the second dig. The new-comer was not expected to raise a voice despite his background. That he was Narendra Hirwani’s son cut no ice with the team management. Fair deal, for Mihir didn’t expect any favours as he was determined to find his own identity. With a match-winning performance in the Ranji Trophy Group B fixture against Baroda at Moti Bagh, the 21-year-old took a step towards making a name for himself.

Madhya Pradesh rallied to beat the hosts by 87 runs and the young leggie made a serious impact with nine wickets in the match. This was his third first-class game and the Man of the Match award was well-earned. He had a five-for (5/60) in the first innings but Baroda still took a 27-run lead. It’s not easy to come back in a four-day game and Madhya Pradesh were defending 261 in the fourth innings. Medium pacer Puneet Datey bowled an outstanding first spell and accounted for the top order. Mihir took care of the lower middle-order and the tail to finish with 4/41.

“The pitch was made of red soil and it had bounce. It also had cracks but it wasn’t a rank turner. Datey’s wickets upfront made things easier for me. Then Jalaj Saxena dismissed Yusuf Pathan who was going great guns. It was a very well-planned wicket. As for me, I just looked to hit the right areas and was very happy with the return. Wickets always boost your confidence and hopefully this will help me win my captain’s confidence,” Mihir said, speaking to The Indian Express.

There’s some privilege attached to being the son of a former cricketer who had equalled the world record for most number of scalps (16) on Test debut. For Narendra Hirwani’s son, it was also not surprising that leg-spin came naturally to him. Mihir was 11 when he started playing cricket. About 10 years down the line, he’s working hard to establish his own identity. “The upside is that I have had the opportunity to be coached and mentored by my father. Then again, pressure is immense when you’re Narendra Hirwani’s son. People like to compare. My father finished with 732 wickets from 167 first-class matches. I’ve just started. The biggest challenge for me is to establish my own identity and I believe if I bowl the way I did in this game, I’d be able to make an impression,” Mihir said.

Hirwani Sr agrees. “Yes, the challenge for him is not to bow under the weight of expectation. People will always try to make the comparison, which is unfair. We are two different bowlers. He’s quicker through the air. He’s also taller than me, so the action is different. His height enables him to extract more bounce off the deck. But he has a long way to go. He must learn to have more variety. He must learn to vary his pace…He’s has just started and we should allow him to play his own way.”