Back in business, Dinda eyes more glory

Speaking about his performance in domestic season, Dinda said, “This has been a dream season for me. I’ve managed to hit the perfect areas consistently, and that’s a really important thing when it comes to bowling.”

On Tuesday, Ashok Dinda was impeccable once again, finishing with figures of none for 22 from 10 overs as Bengal posted an easy win over Goa in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.

For the last two years, Ashok Dinda has led from the front as one of the senior most players for Bengal. The pacer has taken bucketful of wickets in the Ranji Trophy in the last couple of seasons (36 in 2015-16 and 39 in 2016-17).

On Tuesday, Dinda was impeccable once again, finishing with figures of none for 22 from 10 overs as Bengal posted an easy win over Goa in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match here.

But the 32-year-old, who was considered one of the bright prospects for the national team for his outright pace, did not have a great run with the Indian team and featured only in a handful of games in the limited over formats. It has been four years since he donned the national colours the last time.

Speaking about his performance in domestic season, Dinda said, “This has been a dream season for me. I’ve managed to hit the perfect areas consistently, and that’s a really important thing when it comes to bowling.”

Asked about getting back to the national team, Dinda straight batted it saying, “My job is to keep performing. Some days I get wickets, some days I don't. That also boils down to luck. There are days when you bowl well, but you don’t get wickets. And there are days when you bowl badly, but still end up with three-four scalps.”

“My aim at the moment is to give my 100 per cent in each match I turn out for, and to keep the ball in the right areas when I do. I just want to do my best. I do not want to compromise on neither my pace, nor my effort. That’s my motto.”

Dinda will now hope to use the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) to carry his good form and lead from the front for the Pune side. “I have to lead from the front, with both the old and new ball as we don’t have too many Indian fast bowlers.”

After a poor debut year in 2016, Rising Pune Supergiants dropped Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its skipper a few days back, and Dinda admits it will be weird to play alongside Dhoni, who won’t be leading the side. “I was surprised when I got the news, and not to mention sad. But, it's the franchise's decision. It is what it is now.”