IPL 2022 | Never thought I'd play cricket: Mukesh Choudhary

It was a disappointing Indian Premier League debut for Chennai Super Kings pacer Mukesh Choudhary against Lucknow in Match 7, wherein he gave away close to 40 runs without affecting any dismissal.

In his next appearance against Punjab Kings, Choudhary finished with figures of 52/1 off four overs. The left-arm medium-pacer returned with 30/1 and 40/1 in the subsequent fixtures against the Sunrisers and the Challengers.

It was the 29th match of the season against Gujarat Titans, where Choudhary bowled perfect lines and lengths to finish with 1/18 off three overs and the prized scalp of Shubman Gill.

However, the Pune pacer shot into the limelight in the El-Clasico of the season, where Choudhary was terrific in the first over of the match to dismiss Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the first over of the innings.

The yorker to rattle the stumps of the costliest player in the auction, Kishan, indeed was the match's highlight. He picked another wicket of Dewald Brevis and returned with figures of 3/19 off three overs. His spell restricted MI to 155, and the total was eventually chased down, courtesy of an MSD special.

In a recent interview on CSK TV, Choudhary recalled his younger days. He reckoned that he did not have proper facilities when growing up in Pardodas village in the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.

"When I was small, the bigger guys wouldn't let me bat or bowl, but I would field all day. The situation in my home was not great. There was no club or anything in my village, so it all started with a tennis ball.

"In the fourth standard, my father put me in a boarding school because there wasn't much facility to study in my village. I then tried other sports, like basketball, volleyball, and hockey. But cricket was always my favourite," said Choudhary to CSK TV.

It was the junior college which helped him to get enough opportunities and showcase his skills after he shifted his base to Pune.

"Then, in 9th standard, I came to a boarding school in Pune. I got an opportunity to play a few matches with a leather ball. Then in junior college, I played more matches, and I lost interest in academics." the left-arm pacer added. 

Choudhary revealed that his father started to support him after being chosen to play for the Maharashtra state team in Ranji Trophy.

"I didn't tell my parents, but I started focusing on cricket. When my name would appear in newspapers, I would send it to them. My father said ok, but continue to study because many people play cricket.

"Two years later, I played Ranji Trophy (for Maharashtra) - then he felt ok and supported me. But, till I got selected for the state, only my brother knew I was playing cricket seriously. My parents didn't know," Choudhary added.

Choudhary said he learned the trait of hard work from his father. He further hailed his father and reckoned that there's nobody bigger than him in his life.

"I only wanted to be in the ground throughout the day. I didn't want to go out or anything. So from morning to evening, I was on the ground. I learned from my father about working hard. He would leave at 4 am and come back at midnight. He felt if he worked hard, his children would be happy in the future. So my father did a lot for us, and there's nobody bigger than him for me," Choudhary concluded.

CSK will play their next match against PBKS on April 25 and Choudhary will look to continue his good form.