Basil Thampi aiming high with India A's upcoming tour of South Africa

What’s the story?

IPL sensation Basil Thampi has set the bar high for himself in the upcoming tour of South Africa with the India A side. He is hopeful of learning from the experience of playing in the bowler-friendly pitches on what will be his first overseas assignment.

Speaking exclusively to The Times of India on the sidelines of a fast bowler’s camp taking place at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, the Kerala youngster talked about the adjustments he intended to make in his bowling so as to adapt to the conditions in South Africa.

“The pitches in South Africa will obviously have much more bounce and I can drag my length a bit down because I’m naturally suited to bowling back of a length,” he said. “I’m a better bowler now and I hope I can do better with the new ball and get the outswing going as well.”

Apart from the obvious improvement on the bowling front, Thampi reflected on the need for possessing the correct mindset – something Australian legend Glenn McGrath advised the 23-year-old during his short stint at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai following the 2017 IPL.

“McGrath sir asked me what was the most important thing I had gained from the IPL and I told him it’s the confidence that I could bowl to anyone I got. He seemed happy and said that cricket is a game determined by your mindset and encouraged me to carry on with the same attitude,” Thampi said.

In case you didn’t know...

Thampi’s rise to fame has been phenomenal, to say the least as the speedster who had played only a handful of Ranji Trophy matches found himself being picked up by the Gujarat Lions franchise for a price of Rs 85 lakh in the 2017 IPL auctions.

The selection was based on his impressive showing at the South Zone T20s and not only did he justify his hefty price tag, but also managed to exceed expectations as he ended up with the ‘IPL Emerging Player of the Season’ award after claiming 11 wickets from 12 matches.

Extra Cover: Basil Thampi: High on promise, low on numbers

The details

Thampi is hoping to create a similar impact with the India A side and wants to repay the faith shown in him by the national selectors with some good performances over in South Africa.

As someone who is capable of consistently delivering at 140kmph, the likes of Dwayne Bravo had predicted a call-up to the Indian cricket team in the near future and Thampi is keen to make the upcoming tour count in his ascend up the cricketing ladder.

Apart from building on his strong areas, Thampi is also keen to improve his bowling with the new ball and wants to develop a potent outswinger as part of his bowling armoury.

Spending time with a fast bowling legend like McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation has been a major boost to Thampi who is keen to take up any challenge despite the odd hammering one can expect like when David Warner took him to the cleaners on his IPL debut in the fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 9.

While injuries always remain a concern for the fast bowlers, Thampi is keen on improving as a bowler and feels that everything else will fall in place with time.

What’s next?

India A’s tour of South Africa will feature a triangular ODI series with Australia A as the third side followed by two four-day matches between the hosts and India A.

Thampi has been included in the ODI squad along with another IPL hero in Krunal Pandya who played a stellar role in Mumbai Indians victory over Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 IPL Final.

Extra Cover: BCCI announces India A squad for tour of South Africa

Author’s take

Thampi has made quite an impact with his performances at the 2017 IPL and the Emerging Player Award at the end of the campaign was a just reward for the hard work put in by the youngster.

He has the potential to become a future international cricketer and his ability to bowl yorkers and his consistent high pace are attributes which very few Indian fast bowlers can boast of. A good showing in the upcoming tour could well open the door for a potential call-up to the senior side and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he does manage to do that.