How many cricketers would you find making his first season of first class cricket as the debut season for International cricket too? Well, Abhimanyu Mithun is one of those rare breed.

Making his first class debut during the Ranji Trophy season only in 2009, Mithun forced his way into the Indian team in the third ODI against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Feb 27, 2010. Mithun will mark this day for ever.

How many cricketers would you find making his first season of first class cricket as the debut season for International cricket too? Well, Abhimanyu Mithun is one of those rare breed.

Making his first class debut during the Ranji Trophy season only in 2009, Mithun forced his way into the Indian team in the third ODI against South Africa at Ahmedabad on Feb 27, 2010. Mithun will mark this day for ever.

The calendar marking could have been a bit earlier for Mithun, for he was picked up in the Test team too against the Proteas. However, that was not to be as he couldn’t make it to the final XI of the Indian team that played the first test against the visitors and then Mithun was dropped from the team in the second test. But let bygones be bygones.

For the 6’2” former discuss thrower, playing full time professional cricket has been only for the last three years. But in this short time he has already proved himself a worthy competitor in that. His first season in top class cricket reaped him rich dividends when he captured 47 wickets in the Ranji Trophy 2009-10 which Karnataka lost narrowly to Mumbai. But Mithun didn’t miss the target. The selectors narrowed their eyes on this lanky bowler, who believes pace is his trump card in bowling.

Mithun’s pace caught the Royal Challengers’ by surprise and was duly inducted into the team last year itself. Statistically speaking, IPL 2009 wasn’t that successful for Mithun, but the stint with the team brought him tonnes of experience hanging around with the likes of Steyn, Kallis, Kumble, Dravid in the team. That’s a lifetime learning for a young lad waiting to explore the world of cricket waiting for him.

Today, at the Motera, he relied on his cards. But on a perfect batting wicket, and against the marauding Amla-Kallis-de Villers, Mithun found his experience in top class cricket a tad short. He was plundered for 63 runs off his eight overs, but we can surely hope that this is a bowler who has the tenacity to be in top flight cricket for a long long time. For he has just crossed 20 summers on this earth.

Here’s to him for making the grade, and feeling so special!