Tambe and the Rajasthan tradition

Veterans in sports carry the story of time along with them, and their willingness to overcome physical and mental challenges to be in sync with modern demands makes them a special breed.

Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hogg and Rahul Dravid, among others, have attained varying degrees of success in various domestic Twenty20 leagues across the globe even after retiring from international cricket. But on Tuesday (May 5), when Rajasthan Royals included Pravin Tambe in their XI against Delhi Daredevils in their IPL match, many fans were left wondering who Tambe was.

A leg-spinner and an useful batsman with 25 years of playing experience, Tambe captains the DY Patil Sports Academy B team in Mumbai's Times Shield A division and has been a professional with Raintree Cricket Club in Liverpool league in England for the last seven years. Tambe was named as replacement for an injured Ajit Agarkar in the Mumbai squad for the knockout stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this season, though he did not figure in the playing XI.

At 41 years and 212 days, Tambe became the oldest debutant in the history of the IPL. In the biggest match of his life to date, he did not look out of place.

Introduced by Rahul Dravid in the seventh over, he kept the batsmen tied down, conceding 30 runs in four overs bowled on the trot. "He kept it pretty simple and most of it that came out of his hands were sliders," said Ben Rohrer, the Delhi batsman who faced 11 deliveries from Tambe. "He bowled really well and has got good control. I suppose he has been doing this for a long long time."

Shane Watson, a valued member of the Rajasthan side, said talents like Tambe had allowed Rajasthan to expand their spread. "He has got plenty of experience in life," he said. "Being a leg-spinner, it is hard if you are nervous but he landed the ball very nicely. That alone shows that he has got a great head on his shoulders.

"An option in Tambe is very exciting for us in Royals. It is just a great thing for Royals to continue to give some guys the opportunity - whether they are young guys or little bit older."

Rajasthan, considered a budget team, have regularly unearthed and nurtured little-known talents. In 2008, Dinesh Salunkhe, another leg-spinner who was the runner-up in India's first-ever cricket talent hunt and reality show, played six games while the following year, Kamran Khan, son of a woodcutter, was handed a contract. This year, the squad also included Kumar Boresa, a 17-year-old selected through another talent hunt show jointly organised by the franchise and the Dainik Bhaskar newspaper.

"It is not just about finding talents but also grooming that talent," said Watson. "We have been lucky at Royals to have some amazing coaches like Zubin Bharucha and Monty Desai. As a franchise, we don't overpay for young talents like some of the other franchises do. We just make sure we find the talent, grow that talent and have a very successful environment so that people can be successful."

Rohrer chimed in, "It is great to see stories like these. Mushtaq Ahmed was saying on the sidelines that he would bring his boots next week and hopefully get a game. He is 42!" As long as the likes of Tambe can inspire with their performances, Rajasthan have little to worry about returns on investments.