The Kulkarni family is more used to wielding the scalpel and stethoscope. But Atul, a paediatrician from Solapur, wanted his youngest son Arshin to swap the doctor’s kit for a cricket bag. A failed cricketer himself, his biggest dream was to make his son a cricketer. “In my family everyone is a doctor including my daughter. I used to play cricket and even Arshin’s grandfather also played cricket,” he tells The Indian Express.
On Friday, the medium-pace bowling all-rounder, made a big step in fulfilling his father’s wish by not only debuting for India’s U-19 team in their fixture against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup but also starring in the game with a crisp 70 and impressive bowling figures of 8-0-29-3. Atul’s joy knew no bounds as his son donned the star show from the ground in Dubai, where most of the crowd comprised parents of cricketers.
The dream journey, though, was filled with sacrifices. One day, Arshin’s coaches in Solapur, Salim Khan and Tilak, told Atul that his son was so talented that he had to shift to Pune, some 250km from Solapur, to polish his game and if he was serious about being a professional cricketer. At that time, he was already in the Maharashtra U14 side, apart from being a regular in the district side. He was good at academics too, but they knew their son’s passion for the game and wanted him to chase his dream. Unlike boys of his age, he might not carry a mobile, but used to take a bat wherever he went.
#TeamIndia off to a winning start in the #ACCMensU19AsiaCup 🙌🙌
They beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai 👌👌
Scorecard: https://t.co/4FgkV7W5HW pic.twitter.com/lXrAPruQlM
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 8, 2023
That night the doctors’ family sat together to decide Arshin’s future. At the end of it, they decided to move him to Pune, but not on a permanent basis. It was the biggest call the family made.
But practical hurdles kept tumbling on. “There was a problem, his school. He was studying in St Joseph School in Solapur. One day I went and met the principal and requested the school to allow Arshin three days’ leave a week so that he can pursue his cricket. We convinced the school that we will help him complete his studies,” Atul says.
Academics-cricket juggle
The family, thus, rented a house in Pune after Ashrin was selected by the Cadence Academy. On Wednesday afternoon, he would drive down to Pune with our driver and his grandmother. She used to stay with Arshin and take care of her. After Sunday’s match, they used to drive back to Solapur, this continued from Maharashtra U-14 to U-19 days,” his father says.
He was a leg-spinner, who can bat before but his coaches in the nets felt that with his body, he can try medium-pace too. So during his under-16 days, he began to bowl medium-pace and became the all-rounder. His grandfather too was a pace bowler, who introduced swing to Arshin by showing how to use the seam of the ball.
Glimpses of India-U19 vs Afghanistan-U19 fixture.#ACCMensU19AsiaCup #ACC pic.twitter.com/XKImgtZXIb
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) December 8, 2023
The driving factors though were dedication and punctuality. He was seldom late to the nets; rewards duly piled on. Last year, he was Maharashtra’s leading run-getter in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. This year, he was picked for the senior Maharashtra team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, before being included for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy knockouts, wherein he struck a century in the final. Recently, he sparkled in the Maharashtra Premier League, where he struck a 100 laden with 13 sixes.
Pandya pep-talk
Before flying to Dubai, Arshin bumped into one of his idols, Hardik Pandya (the other being South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis), at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. The lanky boy did not miss the chance for a chat with Pandya, who he wants to emulate.
A remarkable display of dominance made Team India emerge victorious by 7 wickets with more than 10 overs left. Congratulations, team India!#ACCMensU19AsiaCup #ACC pic.twitter.com/k89gWRWsAs
— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) December 8, 2023
He quizzed Pandya on dealing with pressure. Pandya’s answer was simple—“Just think about the team.” This was exactly his priority against Afghanistan. When batting, he resisted the instinct for big shots. He barely played a rash shot and anchored the chase with his unbeaten 70 consuming 105 balls. An impulsive boundary-hitter, he contained himself to just four fours, waiting for loose balls for boundaries, as he steered his team to their first win in the tournament.
Atul is ecstatic about his son, but he knows his son has a long way to go. “We saw his 100 in MPL and now this innings too but one advice I always give him is to be grounded. I know he has been selected for India under 19 but it’s just a start and he has to climb long stairs ahead. We are happy but it will be a fresh start the next day,” he concluded.