Preparing for greater glory

Many promising players put on a front when they talk to journalists, projecting themselves as good boys willing to learn and excel in every facet of the game. Not Ramesh Powar. His conviction was mind-boggling back in 1999 when he hadn't even represented Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. "People and coaches constantly advise me against hitting in the air," he said. "But I don't agree. Instead of changing my game and getting out after being bogged down, I would rather play my natural game and fail."

Powar's carefree, uncomplicated approach was a major contributor to Mumbai's revival this season. Not just a stocky offspinner who is difficult to master, the 25-year-old constantly boosts the lower order with his ability to clear the fence and score heavily in a crisis.

His name started doing the rounds late in 1999 after the final of the Purushottam Shield one-day tournament in Mumbai, in which he scored an unbeaten century with the No. 11 for support in a successful chase. In a tour game against the visiting Australians in 2001, he took 65 off 67 balls against Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming and Shane Warne. Before this season, Powar was just about a certainty in the Mumbai team. Now he is a vital cog - and a decent option for the national selectors for a spinning allrounder's slot.

What he did in the 2002-03 season
Powar gave Mumbai the kiss of life when they were down - from taking the vital wickets (Gautam Gambhir, Deep Dasgupta, Connor Williams, Nayan Mongia, Jayaraman Gokulakrishnan and S Badrinath among others), to scoring runs in a crisis.

His belligerent batting was the pivot that turned Mumbai's fortunes around. It started in the game against Hyderabad where Mumbai trailed by 32 runs in the first innings. Enter Powar at No. 10 to hit 57 off 64 balls, adding 81 runs for the last two wickets. Mumbai won by 69 runs.

The sequence continued: against Andhra Pradesh, he made 104, taking Mumbai from 240 for 8 to 403; against Himachal.Pradesh, 85, taking them from 206 for 7 to 415; against Tamil Nadu, 53, from 298 for 7 to 387 for 7 declared in the second innings after Mumbai were trailing in the first. He finished as the second-highest run-getter from Mumbai for the season (behind Wasim Jaffer), batting from Nos. 7 to 10.

In the other domestic tournaments, though, Powar was a shadow of himself. The key for him in the coming seasons will be to add consistency to his undoubted talent.

In his own words
Lessons learned "I like to play my shots. But I also learned how to grind. I became more aware about shot selection and gave fewer chances to the bowlers early on."

Memorable performance "The half-century against Hyderabad. It was a crucial knock from the team's point of view because it helped us from a hopeless situation. It gave me the belief that runs can be scored even at that number [10]."

Areas for improvement "As a bowler, I have to have more variety. Another key area is fitness. I look heavyset and people tend to feel that I'm not all that fit. If I reduce my weight, it will hold me in good stead."

Inside View: Vasu Paranjape, coach at the NCA
"Ramesh is temperamentally sound and plays well in demanding situations. He keeps the game simple. He is a tough lad who has his own ways of doing things. And on more occasions than not, he delivers."

Outside View: Nayan Mongia, Baroda wicketkeeper-batsman
"Powar is a committed player and bats naturally without getting bogged down by the situation. But he has to learn how to stay on a wicket, especially against fast bowlers. And as an offspinner he needs to learn how to add variety."