Evolving on the shoulder of a giant: the Dinda effect in Porel's rise

On Saturday night, budding young Bengal fast bowler Ishan Porel rang up out-of-favour senior pacer Ashok Dinda. Although Dinda has been axed from the Bengal side owing to disciplinary issues, fellow bowlers still seek his guidance. A game as big as the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy and an opponent as accomplished as Karnataka, Porel needed some tips from the master.

The master gave the age old advice: keep bowling in the right areas and stay patient. He also told the hungry and aspiring student to not get carried away by the greenish Eden Gardens pitch and end up over-doing things. The message was to do the basics right and let the pitch do the rest.

Porel, just 21 but already making light of Dinda’s absence with a sizzling show this season, followed the master’s advice to the boot.

While senior colleague Mukesh Kumar got carried away at times with the swing on offer and sprayed the ball in his first spell, Porel was deadly accurate. He kept landing the ball repeatedly in the corridor of uncertainty, moving some in and some away.

Some balls even held their line. With the pace also being very good, Karnataka batsmen found the battle way too unnerving. KL Rahul, who will skipper Porel at Kings XI Punjab, was the only top-order batsman who could withstand the pacer’s relentless accuracy, rest of all his team-mates falling like pack of cards.

“It means a lot,” said Porel of his 5 for 39 effort on Sunday that has put Bengal in a commanding position in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Karnataka. “It was not a big score as they have a strong batting line-up. We showed discipline and maintained good line and length. Through out the season we have been bowling well.”

Ever since he made his first-class debut against Vidarbha in November 2017, the pacer has been rated highly. But a spate of injuries has curtailed his growth and almost ruined a U-19 World Cup appearance. The youngster though worked hard on his fitness - doing a lot of running and working out in the gym - to make the flight to the biennial showpiece event in New Zealand in 2018. Since then, the pacer is slowly making a statement.

Last Ranji Trophy season, he picked up 17 wickets in 6 games while this edition he’s bagged 20 scalps in 5 games with the effort on Sunday his second five-wicket haul of his career. This also comes after an impressive three List A games in New Zealand, where he picked up 8 wickets.

“The New Zealand tour was an enriching one. It helped me understand the game better. Having played over 20-odd first-class matches, I’m feeling a lot more confident now. I’m more confident of pitching the ball up. My pace has improved and I can clock 140 kmph on a consistent basis. I’m able to procure movement as well. The progression has been natural.”

Just 21, this is just the start for Porel. He has launched himself well. He’ll be hoping to maintain that consistency, like the lines and lengths he bowled on Sunday, for a long time if he wishes to graduate to the next level.