Behind the glamor of Indian cricket: Hitesh Walunj and the grind no one sees

Hitesh Walunj was stuffed and slumped near the screen at the Palam Aviation Complex in Delhi when play ended on Tuesday. In the middle, Maharashtra had a difficult final session against Services, losing five wickets for 66 runs in their second innings.

The 33-year-old left-arm spinner has already done his thing with the ball, taking five wickets to give Maharashtra a 106-run first innings lead in their Ranji Trophy Elite opener. But the course got more difficult with each session and a 10 or 20 from him on the final day could make all the difference. He wasn’t going to wait for the game to come to him.

RANJI TROPHY, OCTOBER 13: WRAP

Hitesh Walunj started his Ranji Trophy season with a five-wicket haul, turning years of perseverance into a timely statement.

The instinct to continue working is natural for Walunj. He knows a five-wicket haul in the season opener is a good start, not a guarantee. He’s been here before, on the fringes of a Maharashtra side that has never been short of competing for places, with periods of wickets coming in a rush followed by another long wait. At 33, he’s still working on the next opportunity.

His story is that of a man who chose cricket over the security of a regular job and continued with that choice when there was no sign that the game would reward him.

A DREAM DEFERRED

Walunj started playing cricket at the age of 14, but the path to the Ranji Trophy was not a straight one. He did not go through the Maharashtra age group system. His national debut came directly in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a domestic T20 competition, in 2018-19 when he was 26. The Ranji Trophy cap that mattered most to him took another five years.

“I had to wait for 16 years to play Ranji Trophy cricket, which is everyone’s dream,” Walunj tells IndiaToday.in in Palam.

“I didn’t play just one particular age group; Syed Mushtaq Ali made his debut right at the age of 26 in the 2018-19 season. After that I had a gap of three years and then I made my debut at 30 in the Ranji Trophy.”

CHOOSING THE UNCERTAIN

Waiting wasn’t all about choice. It raised a bigger question: what would he do with his life if cricket didn’t work out? Walunj had completed his B.Com and his parents, like many in a middle-class household, wanted him to find a secure job, settle down and build a future. His mother sewed tiffin bags; his father worked as a servant. Their concerns were understandable. Cricket, especially the career Walunj pursued, offered no monthly salary and no guarantee of another opportunity. With his family hoping for a secure future, Hitesh Walunj took the uncertain path of cricket and moved on. (Photo: Instagram)

However, Walunj knew what he wanted. He had already devoted a large part of his life to the game and was not willing to leave without giving himself one more chance.

“If I wanted a normal job, I could have done it at 19 or 20 right after graduation. Why waste another five or six years?” he says.

“My mindset was clear that I had given 10 to 12 years of cricket, so for the next two years I could give 100%. That was my mindset.”

He doesn’t blame his parents for wanting something safer for him.

“Every mum and dad expects that their son should get married, settle down and get a job. As a middle-class family, they had a perfectly fair mindset and I don’t blame them,” he says.

But he had to make them understand that the decision was his.

He told them, “You don’t have to worry about me. I will never do anything to ruin our family name or bring bad reputation, so don’t worry. Whatever I do, I will do it myself. Be happy and support me mentally.”

SEARCHING FOR THE WAY

There was no easy way to pay for this decision. With no regular job and no monthly income, Walunj began traveling around India playing tournaments for cash prizes and taking whatever came his way. He went to Goa, Kashmir and smaller towns across Maharashtra where he played T20 cricket to cover his expenses and gain match experience. The trips were often by bus, depending on what the organizers managed. It was a way to keep playing while paying my own way, rather than sitting at home waiting for a call that might never come.

For a cricketer in this position, the mental strain can be as demanding as the physical work. He still had to believe that the goals he took and the games he played counted for something.

“It’s a very difficult phase where you keep performing and don’t let yourself be picked,” he says.

“As a cricketer and a sportsman, I think, ‘Okay, today I took 20 wickets, tomorrow if I don’t get selected, no problem, I’ll take 30 or 40 wickets.'” Sixteen years of chasing the Ranji Trophy dream, with each wicket taking him one step closer to what he still wants most. (Photo: Instagram)

He found that the pressure at home could be harder to handle than the uncertainty on the pitch.

“Family pressure and their expectation that you settle down with a job is much more dangerous for athletes,” he says.

“During those times you need immense mental stability to explain things to your family.”

Friends helped him through these times, reminding him that he was on the right path and encouraging him to be patient. He went on.

LEARNING AND WAITING

The big push for first-class cricket began in 2022 when Walunj was brought in as a net bowler for Chennai Super Kings. During the shortened Covid-affected season, he briefly entered the Ranji squad in Maharashtra but was pushed back as the tournament was suspended and younger players, including members of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning team, were favoured. It was difficult to overcome the obstacle, but he opened up elsewhere.

Walunj credits Ruturaji Gaikwad for giving CSK the opportunity. Knowing that he was performing well, Gaikwad urged him to rush to the nets and use his experience to improve.

“He told me, ‘Come here, look in the nets and get experience, it will help your overall cricketing growth’,” recalls Walunj.

It was a chance to work alongside players he watched from afar and see what preparation looks like at the top of the home and franchise game.

Among them was Ravindra Jadeja. Walunj spent time talking to the Indian all-rounder about bowling and the mental demands of cricket and the conversations stayed with him.

“I had extensive conversations with Jadeja about bowling and mindset,” he says.

“I believe that at some level, whether playing Ranji Trophy or international cricket, it’s not so much about ability as it is about mindset. It’s the poise that helps you deal with difficult situations.”

When his chance finally came, he seized it forcefully. In his first season, he took 14 wickets in a single match against Saurashtra, six in the first innings and eight in the second, and dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara twice. That might have given him a hint that he belonged at this level. That season brought 41 goals in seven games, among the most in the competition, and the following a further 29. Yet he was in and out of the side. Last season, Maharashtra’s options changed with the arrival of veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena from Kerala and Walunj was relieved. He played only one match and scored four goals. After two productive seasons, he returned to waiting.

Through it all, Kedar Jadhav was there. The former India cricketer, who hails from Pune and knows Maharashtra’s domestic system intimately, has been a mentor to Walunja, helping him through tough times and supporting him when he needed cricket gear.

“Kedar Jadhav has helped me immensely, both mentally and in breaking through in cricket. He is like a mentor to me,” says Walunj.

“In every aspect, be it mental support or getting cricket merchandise, he has always supported me. You always need a mentor in cricket and he is mine.”

But Walunj is careful not to suggest that a single hit built his career. The nets of CSK gave him experience, Jadhav’s mentorship gave him support and the Ranji Trophy finally gave him a stage. None of them removed the uncertainty.

WE ARE STILL CHASING MORE

That uncertainty is still there, even after his latest five-wicket haul. His first innings against Services came over 29 overs, eight of them maidens, on a surface he described as more of a grinding wicket than one offering extravagant turn. He felt that the first 20 overs can give you something to work with, but the task was to keep the bowling going and make the batter earn every run.

Preparation for the new season was difficult. Maharashtra played a series of matches in the off-season, held a fitness camp, participated in the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) tournament and then hosted Goa for more practice games. Walunj believes the volume of match practice has made it easier to execute plans from the first game.

“When your preparations are going well and you start doing them right from the first game, it sets an amazing tone,” he says.

“Getting off to a good start like this makes the rest of the season that much more enjoyable.”

He is also working on his bat and is aware that a player who is not guaranteed a spot cannot afford to neglect any part of his game. The shifts on the viewscreen were a small illustration of this thinking. He got five wickets, but the game was not over and there was more to do.

At the age of 33, Walunj did not abandon the ambition that accompanied him during the long wait. When asked if he still dreams of playing for India, he does not hesitate.

“100 percent! If someone like Saransh Jain can make his debut for India at the age of 33, why not me? Every cricketer’s highest ambition is to play for India, so I want to play for India in the coming year 100 percent.”

It’s a bold ambition in a system where the competition is relentless and the path narrows with each passing season. But Walunj has spent most of his cricketing life in the space between what is possible and what is promised. He knows that good performances don’t always lead to selection, that a breakthrough can be followed by another wait and that persistence doesn’t guarantee anything.

So far he has done what he always does. He prepared, took advantage of the opportunity and looked for another way to help his team.

It took Walunja 16 years to get a Ranji Trophy cap. He’s taking deductions so he’ll never have to wait that long again.

– The end