Dinda still yearns India Test cap

Many might have raised their eyebrows after finding Ashok Dinda in the list of India's probables for the World Cup, but Dinda himself is neither surprised nor excited. Rather, he takes it as another step towards fulfilling two of his biggest goals on a cricket field: to win the Ranji Trophy for Bengal, and to earn India's Test cap.

"Obviously I am delighted to see my name featuring in the World Cup probable," he said. "It feels nice when your efforts are rewarded. This will surely act as a motivator to help me achieve the two goals."

Dinda topped the wicket-takers list in the Deodhar Trophy. His four-wicket haul was not only pivotal in East Zone overcoming West Zone and winning the inter-zonal one-day trophy in Mumbai last week, but also ensuring that the national selectors could not ignore him. Dinda hopes that the Deodhar title will act as a lucky charm and help Bengal break their Ranji Trophy jinx.

"I have been a part of successive Duleep Trophy campaigns. Coming into Ranji, we made it to the semis of the Duleep and Vijay Hazare Trophy and then won the Deodhar. Now is the time to win the Ranji Trophy. I have played two Ranji semis and we have lost in the final once. Now is the time to go one step higher and bring on the glory for Bengal."

Bengal began their quest to regain the Ranji Trophy after 25 years by pocketing three points against Baroda in the opener. With the team set to play four successive games at home, Bengal are in with a chance to seal qualification with a strong show at Eden Gardens.

But for them to go all the way and win the trophy, the new-ball duo of Dinda and Veer Pratap Singh will have to be exceptional throughout the season. Dinda is confident if he can do that and play a crucial role in Bengal's Ranji triumph, it will lead to him realizing his second dream.

"If I continue to pick wickets consistently, I am sure the India Test cap will come," Dinda said. "I was close twice when I was in the squad for the England and Australia Test series in 2011-12, but couldn't get into the XI. I am hopeful that it will happen sooner than later."

Ever since making his first-class debut for Bengal in 2005-06, Dinda has slowly and steadily become more ambitious on the field. Never during his childhood did he think of playing cricket for India. In fact, he had never played cricket with a leather ball till he was 15. Growing up in Midnapore, a small town approximately 130km from Kolkata, Dinda enjoyed playing tennis-ball cricket matches and football, the first love for every Bengali, with his friends. But his life changed when he had come for a 15-day holiday during the Puja vacations in his ninth grade.

"When I was roaming around with my maama (maternal uncle) [who raised him after Dinda's father died when he was in first grade], we saw a club game going on. We watched for some time and I told my uncle I could bowl better than all those bowlers," Dinda recalled. "He believed in me and then enrolled me into a training camp for a fortnight. That was the first time I bowled with a leather ball."

For the next two years, Dinda used to take the first bus from Midnapore to Kolkata, travel for four hours, and then take the last bus from Kolkata back to Midnapore. Training in Midnapore was not an option since "forget about then, even today the kids cannot afford to play with a cricket ball". Dinda had no choice but to shift to Kolkata then for pursuing his passion for cricket. Once he won the Scorpio Speedster competition in the second season, Dinda broke into Bengal's Under-22 wickets and a bagful of wickets in the same season paved the way for a first-class debut in 2005-06.

By then, Dinda had built a reputation for himself as a seamer who bowled with a high hump and wore a bandana. It was believed that with such a high jump into his delivery stride, Dinda would be prone to injuries. But he is thankful to all his coaches for not tinkering around with his natural style.

"All of them told me that if they tried to change my technique, it would result in injuries. And it has worked for me all along. I have never missed a game due to a leg injury. The only time I was sidelined due to an injury was when I had side strain in 2010-11."

Despite being in Kolkata, Dinda remains a Midnaporean at heart. Whenever he gets time, he visits his family in his hometown. And every time he drives down, he doesn't forget to carry as many cricket balls as possible to distribute them among the kids in Midnapore.

Being a small-townie, Dinda has always been shy off the field. He may have hit the headlines for straying in line and length, especially in the IPL, but the only time he was involved in a controversy was last year when he was reported to be thinking of leaving Bengal. Dinda was reported to be disappointed with the Cricket Association of Bengal for not lobbying for him ahead of India's tours to South Africa and New Zealand.

Ask him if he was serious about leaving Bengal, and he interrupts, "Whatever I am is all because of Bengal cricket so I will never leave CAB. I had said it informally to someone I considered a friend who is a reporter and suddenly it became a breaking news."

But still, Dinda doesn't hide his disappointment with the CAB for not pitching for him. "All I wanted CAB to do was to ask the selectors why someone else who had half the wickets than me [Varun Aaron] had been preferred ahead of me.

"I had 41 wickets from nine games and I wanted to know the reason. I thought since we all represent our state associations, the association should stand up for the players whenever possible. I would never walk up to a selector and ask him anything. I feel the association should do it."