Shivam Mavi first grabbed everyone's attention when he starred for India at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup. Bowling with great pace, he formed a lethal pace pair with Kamlesh Nagarkoti. In the same year, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL. However, the road ahead was not smooth as injuries dented his career. He went through a lengthy rehabilitation and gradually made a comeback. In the IPL 2023 auction, Mavi was picked up by Gujarat Titans for a whopping Rs 6 crore. And on Tuesday, Mavi made a dream debut for India. Mavi returned figures of 4-22 to help the hosts bowl out Sri Lanka for 160 in a victory target of 163 and lead the three-match series 1-0 in Mumbai.
This is the third-best figures by an Indian debutant in T20Is after Barinder Sran (4/10 vs Zimbabwe, Harare 2016) and Pragyan Ojha (4/21 vs Bangladesh, Nottingham 2009). The Sri Lankans surely had the firepower to chase down 163 but Mavi's strikes at front and back end of the innings tilted the game in favour of the home team.
"The landing zone was a little slippery. Was waiting for six years after playing U19. Had to work hard in those six years - got injured as well. For a while it looked like my dream will remain a dream. But I kept at it. Having played the IPL, the nervousness is a little less. My idea in the powerplay is to attack and get them out. Favourite dismissal was the first one, getting him bowled," Shivam Mavi said after the match.
"Nerves were 3-4 on a scale of ten because you know what to expect when you have played the IPL. The first wicket was my favourite."
The 24-year-old Mavi was ably supported by fellow pace bowlers Umran Malik and Harshal Patel as they picked up two wickets each.
Axar Patel, a left-arm spinner, held his nerve in a tense last over when Sri Lanka needed 12 for a win and Chamika Karunaratne gave India a scare with his unbeaten 23.
Deepak Hooda (41) and Axar (31) set up victory with an unbeaten 68-run sixth-wicket stand that steered India to 162-5 after being tested by the Sri Lankan bowlers.
With AFP inputs