Mohsin Khan has been pushed into the limelight after his recent exploits with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. On Sunday (May 1), the Lucknow pacer returned with figures of 4/16 against Delhi Capitals (DC), which helped his team to defend a high total. His four wickets were also very crucial, dismissing David Warner, Rishabh Pant, Rovman Powell, and Shardul Thakur.
However, not all was smooth sailing for the 23-year-old, who was initially a part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for three seasons but only warmed their bench. “Sir, mujhe yeh log khila nahi rahe hain, mein pareshan hogaya hoon (they are not including me in the team, I am upset),” said his former coach Badruddin Siddiqui while recalling a call from Mohsin Khan three years ago.
“I told him ‘Don’t be stupid. Just keep talking to Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga. Just chew their brains and you will be a better bowler in the coming days", Badruddin said in an interview with Indian Express.
A left-arm medium pacer with a high-arm action and an ability to generate bounce from a good length, Mohsin is now one of the many pacers to watch out for this season. However, bowling was never the first choice for Mohsin, reveals his coach. “He was reluctant initially but I said if he wants to play higher-level cricket, he can only do that as a bowler. ‘Batting side by side karte raho (carry on)’, but it took some time.
"He was never serious. He was casual in his approach. He went on to play U-16 and U-19 cricket for Uttar Pradesh and even took 27 wickets in three games but he had developed a love for tennis-ball cricket by then,” Badruddin explained.
Mohsin used to skip practice to play tennis-ball cricket with friends, according to Badruddin. When he injured his shoulder, his coach intervened again. “I said if he wants to play higher cricket, he has to be serious. He can play these tennis-ball games, but not on a regular basis. Things changed when he was picked by Mumbai Indians,” Badruddin, who is also the coach of senior India fast bowler Mohammed Shami, stated.
The LSG pacer is the son of a retired Uttar Pradesh Police sub-inspector. During the lockdown, he trained with Shami at the latter’s farmhouse. Badruddin believes that the interaction and the time spent with Shami changed his approach and helped him improve his reverse swing as well as deliver the ball on its seam.
“Shami told him that Mohsin is a better bowler than him but just needed more focus. I called him during lockdown and said, jitna Shami ka dimag nichod sakta hai, kar le (Learn whatever you can from Shami)’. Things have changed after that,” recalls Badruddin.
It is also worth noting that Shami was in a similar situation during his initial IPL days. The Indian pacer was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for two seasons but failed to play for the two-time champions. Shami too had spoken to Badruddin about how it was tough to sit out.
“I told Mohsin, ‘see how Shami picked all the tricks from Wasim Akram.’ He has to do the same. Such opportunities should not be wasted, it will help him in the future,” the coach said.
Mohsin has eight wickets in four games this season, including his brilliant four-fer against DC. He will hope to continue this fine form and help new IPL entrants LSG to the playoffs in their debut season.
