Devendra Bundela hails from Ujjain, a place which does not have a rich history of producing cricketers. At a young age, the upcoming record breaking man in Ranji Trophy realised that he has the talent to serve Madhya Pradesh cricket and he shifted to Indore to explore opportunities in cricket.
Even he wouldn’t have though that after a period of 25 years, he would become the most capped player in the history of Ranji Trophy – the prestigious and iconic tournament in Indian cricket.
Bundela did not get a chance to play for India despite being one of the healthy run scorers in the domestic circuit. He came close to a national call-up in 1999, he himself reckons but missed out. Despite knowing that his chance has gone, Bundela still continues to serve Madhya Pradesh cricket.
His main motive is to see M.P. cricket getting better and better, a fact which can be consumed after watching most of the cricketers parting ways with MP state association after spending 12-15 years playing for them.
Bundela is a player who still continues to play for Madhya Pradesh – the state association with which he started his domestic career. There are other examples as well just like Bundela but are quite rare.
Bundela’s success story in domestic cricket is none less than a fairy tail as he is now 40-year old and still wants to play the upcoming domestic season.
The veteran of 157 first-class games also made sacrifices as other Indian players were running behind Indian Premier League (IPL), the M.P. captain kept himself away from the shortest format of the game to concentrate on days cricket.
Sportzwiki caught with Devendra Bundela to know more about his journey and his 21 years in domestic cricket.
Here are some excerpts from the interview –
SW: First of all, a long journey. How do you describe these 21 years which you have spent between 22 yards playing for Madhya Pradesh?
Dev: Great! the journey has been fantastic. There were many ups and downs. I learnt a lot of lessons, so in all, it has been a great experience till now.
SW: Even after spending 21 years in first class cricket, do you plan to achieve anything more? Probably record of most runs in Ranji Trophy cricket?
Dev: No I just don’t think about records. I think to perform well for my Madhya Pradesh team and I am playing every game and every match keeping in mind to perform well for my team. No matter whatever the situation. No one goes for a record, you have to just perform your duties and records are created automatically.
SW: When you took over the record of Amol Muzumdar to play most games in Ranji Trophy, did you have a talk with him or called him? or did he call you?
Dev: No. There was no such thing but yes he congratulated me on social media (Twitter). We have a great bonding among ourselves.
SW: We have always seen that when a player spends a total 10-15 years playing for a state, he tends to move from one state to other as a professional. What was the thing that kept you tied towards Madhya Pradesh team?
Dev: I had just one thing in mind i.e. to perform well for Mandya Pradesh. Yes, there were offers but my aim is to improve M.P. cricket and to make this side stand alongside top teams.
SW: You had a chance to play for India A in Moov America challenge and also when you toured West Indies. Any special memories related to that tour?
Dev: Ya it was a great tour. There were few great players in the team like VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh. So it was a great experience.
SW: When was the time when you thought that you are quite close to earning a national call-up?
Dev: It was in the year 1999, when we played final of Ranji Trophy 1999. MP team was on the top and performance was also quite well. I would say that I performed well in that season.
SW: At what time you realised that now you might not be selected in the Indian team? How difficult was it for you as a player to keep yourself motivated even when you knew that you might not be getting a chance now, a dream for which you took up the game on day one?
Dev: Not like that, as a player you just play. I just played season by season and never thought of it. I had just one thought in mind – to do well for my team. It is a fact that is difficult t accept for every player but I had the motivation of doing well for M.P. team and till now, it is the motivation that is keeping me lifted.
SW: So what is the thing or factor that keep you motivated even at the age of 40?
Dev: I want M.P. team to win Ranji Trophy. I want boys to do well and play for India.
SW: What sort of difficulties did you face in 90’s and early 2000’s when you played Ranji compared to now?
Dev: This is great. Change should take place. Board has supported us quite well and players are getting all the facilities. Indian cricket is improving. This is a great positive.
SW: You played only eight T20s that too in the inaugural edition inter-state T20 championship. Any particular reason behind you not showing interest towards the shortest format of the game.
Dev: Yes when the T20 format came in the year 2007, it didn’t have that much value that time what it is now. So, I focused more on days cricket.
SW: Do you regret quitting T20 cricket so early, especially when you see that IPL started the very next year?
Dev: Yes there could have been a case but days cricket is the top most priority for me and will be always.
SW: Now, you play only first-class cricket. How do you maintain your fitness level during the off season when you are not the part of the team?
Dev: I pay attention to my diet, I follow a proper routine which I have developed to stay fit.
SW: What was your message to Naman Ojha and Ishwar Pandey when they were selected for the Indian cricket team?
Dev: These boys performed well and are still in contention to play for India again. Naman is our main player for Madhya Pradesh and he has also motivated other youngsters that they can also play for India – which is a great thing.
SW: At present, who are the players in Madhya Pradesh camp which you think that have a bright chance of playing for India?
Dev: Aditya Shrivastava, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rajat Patidar, Shubham Sharma and many more. We have good fast bowlers and spinner. MP team is doing well and is one of the top teams now.
SW: Do you look forward to coaching Madhya Pradesh side or any other role (commentator, cricket expert) after you quit the game?
Dev: I am still playing, but yes in future, I am interested in taking up the coaching role.
SW: Will we see Devendra Bundela playing 2017/18 season of Ranji Trophy?
Dev: Let’s see.
SW: Any special message for youngsters who are toiling hard in domestic cricket?
Dev: Just enjoy the game. Put in your hard work, don’t take the burden and chase your goals with utmost seriousness.
SW: To conclude; how do you summarise your career. Do you think that you could have achieved something you missed?
SW: No nothing like that. I would like to be known as a good person and a cricketer who played for the team. This is an important thing for me.