Daredevils’ Domnic is an odd paceman out

Domnic started bowling with a cricket ball only after he turned 28. (Source: Picture by BCCI)

Unlike most fast bowlers in India who graduate from academies at a young age, Delhi Daredevils’ seamer Domnic Joseph Muthuswami is an exception. He joined no academy, and never had the experience of playing age cricket. The only thing he had was his experiences of spending endless hours in the streets of Khadki and Pune bowling with a tennis ball. It was this experience, he reckons, that helped him bowl with exceptional control and sustained pace when he took to bowling with the much harder cricket ball.

Domnic, who till 28 stuck to playing with a soft ball, got selected for the Maharashtra senior squad after bowling just two years with the harder ball. “I am here because of the amount of bowling that I have done with the tennis ball. I am implementing whatever I had learnt then,” he says.

Because the tennis ball is lighter and rougher as compared to a cricket ball, bowling fast needs a lot of physical strength. He believes the pace with which he bowls was possible only because of his hard work done while playing in the streets of Khadki and in the several local games.

“My run-up is slow and short and that is something most people notice. However, if you want to be good at tennis ball cricket, you need to have a lot of strength in your shoulders. And despite an average run-up, my bowling stride provides me the strength to bowl with pace,” he explains.

Skiddy customer
Not only does he push batsmen on the backfoot with his skiddy pace, he is equally capable of producing perfect yorkers at will. Someone who never took to any coach for seeking the basics of fast bowling, Domnic feels bowling with the tennis ball turned out to be his best teacher.

“I think tennis ball cricket teaches you to have great control on your bowling. I always used a bouncer as a surprise weapon but the yorker is something that I have perfected with the tennis ball.”

Domnic did not have a dream start in his debut IPL season. Despite going wicketless against Punjab in Pune on Wednesday, he impressed everyone with his accuracy. He did not play the second match against the Royals, but he was on the money against the Super Kings, bowling three overs for just 18 runs and conceding a wicket. “The entire dressing room including the DD’s coach, captain and senior players praised me. They told me that the one run over that I bowled against MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo and later getting his wicket was exceptional. That gave me a boost,” he adds.

“Daredevils has given me the platform to showcase my talent. The unit is experienced and there is a lot to learn from senior players and the support staff,” the 34-year-old says, who has been a regular with the Maharashtra squad for four years.

Keen learner
Sharing the dressing room with Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami also helps. “They keep talking to me during the nets session and in the hotel too. Although they haven’t asked me to make any changes in my action or run-up, they told me to strengthen myself mentally.

Zaheer bhai told me that I need to stop over experimenting with my bowling and advised me to constantly mix my length,” he explains.

With his action resembling Munaf Patel’s, there is no dearth of compliments. Senior pro Yuvraj Singh has already become a fan of his slower delivery. “Yuvi bhai says it is hard to pick my slower one as I release it pretty late,” he signs off.

Source:: Indian Express