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Valthaty came good when it mattered

Special Correspondent

MOHALI: Laid low by an eye-injury for around three years, Paul Valthaty could hardly see a future for himself in cricket.

He played for the India under-19 team in 2002 and soon suffered an eye-injury in the match against New Zealand. The injury obviously took time to heal but he came back determined to make his debut for Mumbai in a one-day match against Baroda in 2006.

Another lean patch followed. A couple of matches for the Rajasthan Royals in the 2009 Indian Premier League in South Africa did not fetch him much.

What Shane Warne could not bring out of this determined 27-year-old, skipper Adam Gilchrist and coach Michael Bevan pulled out in the second outing itself.

More importantly, Valthaty came good when it really mattered against a champion side, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. His unbeaten 120 was clearly among the most attacking knocks in the competition.

The feeling is yet to sink in,” was how Valthaty reacted when asked for his assessment of his memorable knock.

When asked about how it felt to be performing before the likes of Gilchrist and watched so closely by Dhoni, Valthaty said, “For me, Gilchrist is a legend. Batting with him is an experience.

“But in T20, you don't have the time to think of the names around you and get overawed. We had a task to finish and our eyes were always on chasing 189.”

He revealed that he never played the role of a sheet-anchor. “I am an attacking batsman. I was sent up the order because the team management thought Chennai would start with R. Ashwin to break our left-right opening combination. I was told to go after the spinners at the start and I am so glad it worked out well. Perhaps, it was my day.”

PTI reports:

Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni and other top cricketers like Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh in the IPL is like a dream come true, feels Valthaty. “I will have to pinch myself,” he said when asked how he would feel if one day he finds batting along side Tendulkar at the other end.

“It's every cricketer's dream to play besides the master,” he said.

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