Mumbai's Powar steering

If Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh were unable to make an impression on the first day of the Irani Trophy match at Chennai, their unassuming understudy Ramesh Powar certainly showed the way today. An unlikely hero if there ever was one, Powar took 4 for 61, including the wicket of Sourav Ganguly for a fourth-ball duck, to give the Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai the upper hand against the Rest of India.

A key member of the Ranji-winning squad, Powar is one of the few cricketers in Mumbai who plays purely as a professional. Not for him the soft option of getting a job simply because of cricket. During the English summer, he plies his trade in the Minor Counties. His brother Kiran is also a cricketer, and bats in the top order for Goa.

"It's a really good feeling," said Powar after putting Mumbai in a strong position. "I tried my best and the wicket had a bit of bounce in it and I was successful. All I wanted to do was put the ball in the right places and be consistent. That helped a lot." Going into the third day with a lead of 106, Mumbai have a chance to close the door on the Rest.

Powar was ruthless in his interrogation of the batsmen's off stump, and his perseverance worked wonders. He picked up vital wickets and forced the Rest of India team onto the back foot. Undoubtedly, though, it was Rahul Dravid's wicket that gave him most pleasure. "Dravid's wicket was the crucial one," admitted Powar. "He's the kind of guy who can bat all day if he gets set." Dravid had certainly been in fine touch, defending stoutly and essaying some bold drives, before he flicked Powar to Sachin Tendulkar at midwicket.

Powar's early success meant that Tendulkar persisted with him - one spell, in which he took 4 for 39, was as long as 20 overs. "It's not only because I started off well," said Powar. "We plan everything well in advance and I knew I was likely to bowl a long spell."

This performance reminds the national selectors, who are watching the game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, that they have another spin option up their sleeves. Powar himself is happy just to do well every time he plays: "I'm not the kind of person who thinks too far into the future. I don't think too much about making it to the national side. I'm the sort of person who likes to enjoy playing the game, one day at a time. I like to give my best and let the performances talk, not my mouth."

The fact that Mumbai have come back from being down in the dumps on the first day does not surprise Powar. "This is how we've played our cricket all season. The last year in the Ranji Trophy has really helped strengthen our mental make-up. The coach, Chandrakant Pandit, and seniors like Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar speak to us a lot about playing in big games. They put us at ease and made us comfortable, and we knew what we had to do even when things were not going too well for us."

People who watched Mumbai in their march to victory in the last Ranji season always spoke highly of Powar. He gave the coach a solid batting option floating in the lower order, and bowled to fields set for him. It's obvious that he's an honest pro, a toiler rather than a flash entertainer. At the end of the day, most captains would tell you they would love to have one of his kind in their team.