Yohannan: I hope my performance today encourages people back home
Anand Vasu - 03 December 2001

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He's the last person you'd expect to encounter at a press conference. Tinu Yohannan might be a big, tall lad who runs in and lets it rip. Off the field however, he's a soft-spoken, shy sort, the kind that does not go out of his way to strike up a conversation. Tingling with nervousness yet unfazed by the fact that he had realised a dream, Yohannan spoke to pressmen at the end of his first day of Test cricket.

The first Kerala cricketer to play for India admitted that there was more than a touch of nerves at the beginning of the day. "I was a bit nervous when I took the field in the morning. It was my first day of Test cricket and I had no idea what would happen. I settled down a bit after I got my first wicket in just the fourth ball of the day. Anyway, in the end it turned out to be quite a good day," he said, after returning figures of 18-3-75-2.

Indian cricket lacks much of the pomp and splendour that English cricket is so full off. On the morning of this Test, Nasser Hussain could be seen at the edge of the outfield handing Richard Dawson and James Foster their Test caps. The moment was preserved for eternity by the snappers present. No such thing in the Indian team. "There was no ceremony as such. I was handed my Test cap the day before the match. The cap was left in a bag in front of my room," explained Yohannan.

As you would expect, Yohannan felt more than a bit of satisfaction at the end of the day. "It's a dream for any cricketer. And for a fast bowler there is nothing bigger than opening the bowling in Test cricket," he said.

Although the timing of his selection came as a bit of a surprise, Yohannan at least had a day to sleep on it. The lad was told of his selection on the eve of the match. "The captain told me last night that I would be playing. I didn't expect the India call so early, and I was a bit surprised. Anyway, the selectors had faith in me. So I spoke to my father and gave him the news. He wished me the best, told me to do well," said Yohannan.

Happy to make his debut at Mohali, one of the few venues in India that assists fast bowling, Yohannan had this to say on the conditions - "The wicket was good, it had decent bounce in it. It should stay that way for four days at least. I was generally moving the ball away from the left-hander, but some deliveries came in too as the ball was reverse-swinging."

Having picked the quickie, it was important that Ganguly and the Indian team management backed him up fully. Giving the lad a simple brief, the captain made sure that the task at hand was stuck to. "The captain just told me to bowl a good line and length. He wanted me to keep the ball just outside the off and short of a length. 'Bowl maiden overs,' he told me," Yohannan said.

Although it is early days yet for Yohannan, the very fact that he has played Test cricket will go a long way to lift the spirits of young cricketers from Kerala. "I hope my performance today encourages people back home. They have very high expectations of me and I have to perform much better in the future," ended Yohannan.

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