India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in a conversation with Deep Dasgupta on ESPN Cricinfo, recalled how dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for a duck in a Ranji Trophy encounter proved to be the turning point in his career.
Bhuvneshwar, now an established bowler at the top level, said that even though he had good numbers to show in 2008/09, his second season in first-class cricket, it was only after Tendulkar’s wicket that the spotlight actually came on him.
“So that particular wicket brought my previous performances to the fore and people realised that because he has done well in the past, he might do so in the future as well. I have always maintained that the wicket was a turning point in my career, which made people take notice of me.”
Though Uttar Pradesh went on to lose the final, Bhuvneshwar finished the season with 31 wickets, which prompted Royal Challengers Bangalore to hand him an IPL contract for the 2009 season. He made his India debut three years later, as a 21-year-old, in a T20I against Pakistan.
