Bhuvaneshwar is over the moon after five-wicket burst

Uttar Pradesh's Bhuvaneshwar Kumar in full flow during his five-wicket haul in the Ranji final against Mumbai yesterday. PIC/SURESH KK

UP rookie pacer says it can't get better after a 5-wkt haul including Sachin's scalp

Uttar Pradesh's Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, a teenager from Meerut, will never forget Day One of the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy final. Not because he addressed his first media conference, but because his five wickets included a certain Sachin Tendulkar.

Thanks to the 18-year-old, UP struck thrice to reduce Mumbai to 55 for four. And when Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar looked like taking the game away from UP, Bhuvaneshwar did the trick again by sending Nayar and Sairaj Bahutule back off the first two deliveries with the new ball.

It was creditable to see the rookie consistently pitching the ball up when usually seamers in India tend to pitch it short after seeing a greenish top. And he reaped rewards for his efforts.

"On this sort of a patakha wicket, it was important for the bowlers to keep a couple on the shorter side and then let one up," Ashish Winston Zaidi, UP manager and former pace spearhead, said. "It was pleasing to see Bhuvaneshwar do it on a consistent basis."

The son of a sub-inspector was predictably over the moon with his achievement though he couldn't choose whether his five-for in a Ranji final, or his dismissal of Tendulkar was more significant.

"Considering the magnitude of the game, getting a fifer in a Ranji final is great," Bhuvaneshwar said. "But then, one can't get Tendulkar out too many times."

Did he ever think of scalping the master? "Forget about getting him out, it has been my dream to bowl to him and play with him," he said. "Getting his wicket was the icing on the cake."

Bhuvaneshwar did not forget to acknowledge the contribution of his elder sister Rekha and his coach Bipin Vats.
"It was my sister who first took me for the under-15 trials. Had it not been for her, I wouldn't have come this far. There was some resistance from my parents early on since they felt studies would take a backseat. But she convinced them and kept on encouraging me," Bhuvaneshwar said.

With the rise of Rudra Pratap Singh and Praveen Kumar, Uttar Pradesh has become a factory of swing bowlers in the recent years. And rookie Bhuvaneshwar Kumar announced his arrival in style yesterday.