Kochi: The autorickshaw named ‘Kannan’ that bustles through the busy streets of Perinthalmanna for seven days a week came to a halt much earlier than usual on Sunday evening. Sunil Kumar P, the owner of the autorickshaw, sacrificed many things in life to make his son Vignesh Puthur, whom he affectionately calls ‘Kannan’ at home, a well-known cricketer.
With his wife, Bindhu PK, a homemaker, by his side, Sunilkumar was disappointed when he switched on the TV to find his son’s name missing from the Mumbai Indians’ playing XI against Chennai Super Kings. But there was a surprise in store for Sunilkumar when the second innings began, as MI decided to field the little-known Puthur as their ‘Impact Player’ in place of Rohit Sharma.
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In two hours, Sunilkumar’s son’s name, Vignesh Puthur, was buzzing on social media. The 24-year-old left-arm wrist spinner, who is yet to make his first-class or List A debut for Kerala, impressed by claiming a wicket each in his first three overs on IPL debut to finish with figures of 3/32 from his four overs. Despite being on the losing side, Puthur served notice with his maiden IPL show and even the legendary MS Dhoni acknowledged his performance with a pat on the shoulder at the end of the game.
“I never thought in my life that I would play with all these players. I am very happy. Our captain Surya bhai was very supportive, that is why I never felt so much pressure,” Puthur said while addressing his teammates after being presented the best bowler’s badge inside the MI dressing room.
Watching his son perform on such a big stage left dad Sunilkumar teary-eyed. “It felt like a dream. He called me shortly after midnight and again at 2 in the morning. We could hardly speak. We were overcome with emotions,” said Sunilkumar.
“When he started playing, everything seemed expensive for us. The cricket kit, the ball. I could only offer minimal support. But there were so many people to help us. His first coach Vijayakumar Sir, the Jolly Rovers Cricket Club. They all provided him with whatever he required, and we are indebted to them for our Kannan’s success,” added Sunilkumar.
Seeing the talent in young Puthur, it was his neighbour Mohammed Sherif, now a self-acclaimed preacher, who took him to the Perinthalmanna Cricket Academy when he was just 11. “He was not that tall, very slim, and was an introvert. At first, he tried his hand at everything—left-arm fast, left-arm orthodox spin, and wrist spin. But I noticed that he had a lot of energy when he was bowling left-arm wrist spin and we decided that this was best suited for him. That’s how his journey as a chinaman bowler started,” recalled coach Vijayakumar CG.
The inaugural edition of the Kerala Cricket League last year, where he represented Alleppey Ripples, opened new avenues for Puthur. Despite claiming just three wickets in two games in KCL, MI’s talent scouts were impressed, and they bought him at the IPL auctions at his base price of Rs 30 lakh. He was then flown to South Africa where he bowled in the nets for their South African franchise, MI Cape Town, which was captained by Rashid Khan where Lasith Malinga was the coach.
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