Spinning it the right way: From Calcutta to Cape Town

In a country, where cricket is a religion, many dream about playing the sport, but only a few make it to the very top. For someone who has played the sport, the lack of inspiration is the biggest reason why it remains an unfulfilled dream. Not so for 20-year old Yudhajeet Barua. True to his name, the guy is a fighter.

He has been written about admirably in the South African press. For someone plying his trade in the Rainbow Nation, Yudhajeet is a virtually unknown name in his native land.

Barua has also impressed former South African cricketer and present Cape Cobras coach, Paul Adams. A citation from the latter reads, “Barua has a bright future,” and hails ‘YB’, as he is known in SA, as a special talent. The sentiment is shared by his coaches in Kolkata.

For long, the Cricketing fraternity has joked about South Africa being the nursery for English Cricket. But things have changed. The sub-continent seems to be the new nursery for South African cricket. Imran Tahir, who is originally from Pakistan, continues to play for South Africa. Tahir moved to SA wanting to play better cricket and eventually managed to make it to international cricket. 

 

South Africa’s go-to man, Imran Tahir mauled the Pakistan team on a turning track in Dubai in 2013, showing enough class and justifying his promotion to the highest level. Kudos to sloppy selection in the sub continent, YB will, play for SA in future, feel his coaches.  

Growing up in Kolkata, the kid started off as a batsman who bowled part-time leggies but switched stance to become a leg-spinner, following the footsteps of his idol, the legendary Shane Warne.

The twerker is certainly making the right splash as South African spinner Imran Tahir rates him highly. The two seasons he has played there, he claimed 50-odd wickets with a decent economy rate, though he says, “Ideally I would have liked a lot more wickets.  But I’m happy and hopeful of things getting better for me.”

So how did a Kolkata kid land up as a front line spinner in South African grade cricket? FORTUITOUS.

“I was vacationing with my parents in South Africa when it all started,” he says, adding, “As boredom kicked in, I Googled about nearby cricket clubs there and came upon a few. I decided to visit one and upon reaching the camp, found a trial was on. I went and spoke to them. Convinced them that I was a leg spinner from India and was vacationing here in SA. Luckily for me, they decided to give me a chance and I bowled six balls.”

Yudha, as he is fondly called by his mates back home, sealed his fate.

“They were so happy with my effort. The club manager asked me to join his team and that is how I ended up playing in South Africa,” he says.

Recounting his initial experience, Barua says that it was frustrating to miss out games as the carpal tunnel syndrome pain went on a very severe stage on his inaugural division season in Kolkata. He started the season quite well with the help of pain killers. He played a few games for a division two club in the ‘City of Joy’ before he had to undergo surgery in 2014. The very year he made his entry in the South African sporting world.

“It was a frustrating time,” Barua says, recollecting his surgery days. “I had hardly played a few games here and it was so painful.”

He cites that though he lost out a bit, the hunger to be the best kept him motivated.

“I have always been motivated by dreams. I want to be the best. The injury was a scare, but Stuart Macgill had it too, though at a later stage in his career. But I always had it in me to get back,” he says while showing  a new grip he has picked up from his recently concluded tour.

“It is not so easy you see,” he says, referring to his lower order batting position in SA as against his status as top order batsman. "Those tingling post surgery pain in my wrist kept me away from batting for quite a while. I was struggling there and then I realized that these are uncharted waters and I better stick to my game, bowling.”

“The bouncy wickets require a lot more than wrist work and your ability to plant the foot forward,” he says.

 

Says coach Arun Agarwal: “He needs to work hard in order to stay in the hunt. ” Agarwal,  a familiar name in the Kolkata coaching circuit, mentored Barua during his school days.

“I was always sure of the fact that he was a better bowler than a batter. The fact that he is a spinner will primarily work for him in South Africa. They have fast pitches and are adept at playing seamers, but against the spinning ball they struggle a lot.”

Debabrata Bhattacharjee, his present coach in Kolkata, says "what stood out for me was his insatiable hunger." "Yudha goes on and on,” he adds. 

“We all love the sport. But he is very different. Even during the summer I have seen him practice for five hours straight. There have been days, when I had to intervene and asked him to rest, but he goes on,” the coach says.

However, he is also quick to point out the chink in the armour. 

 

“He is a very good bowler. I have absolutely no doubt regarding that aspect of his game, but he needs to work on his fitness level. Look, if he is aiming for a spot in the South African national side, and I’m pretty certain by his improvements that he will get into that side, he needs to work a lot harder. Those guys are the best fielding unit you’re likely to come across,” Bhattacharjee says.

Barua himself feels he was a tad unlucky. He says that captains in Kolkata will have to be a bit more courageous in terms of playing a leg-spinner. However, he admits that the unavailability of bigger grounds does little to help his cause.  

His mother Indrani is a big support for the budding cricketer. “It wasn’t a very easy decision (to send him to SA) but somehow we reached the conclusion that it was the best for him,” she says.

Much like his deliveries, YB loves to experiment with his looks. He shows snaps of his recent outings, most of which bears different hair colours. 

 

“I love to colour my hair. I have tried various shades, pink, blue, blonde. I want to do something different next.”    

Speaking about his association with Imran Tahir, Yudha says that the South African spinner has appreciated his deliveries, but has insisted that he works on his speed. “I am a bit slow for his liking,” he says. “Ideally Imran wants me to bowl in the 80’s, presently I’m bowling in the mid 70’s. I need to work on my strength.”

“Imran always says ‘bhaijaan aur jaan dalo ball main, jaan chahihe’, he is helpful but he lives in Durban and I’m based in Cape Town, so it’s not often than I get to mingle with him. The few times I have, I have tried and picked his brain,” he says. “I also get a lot of help from Usman Qadir (Pakistani great Abdul Qadir’s son). He has taught me a new grip.”  

Speaking about his special bond with Usman, he says, “He’s like a brother to me. He is such a nice person. In a way, I feel connected to the great Abdul Qadir himself.”

Barua is due to return back to the Rainbow Nation for his third season in August. He plans to train hard in Kolkata for the remaining months. “I need to keep myself fit and motivated,” he says before we sign off.

Only time will tell if he will make it to the top, if he has it in him to play in the IPL.  



Images by Subhodeep Sardar/IBNS.