The story of world's first ambidextrous wrist spinner- Utkarsh Dwivedi
Utkarsh Dwivedi is the first Cricketer ever in the recorded history to bowl wrist spin with both hands. How the right arm leggie became a left arm chinaman is a fascinating story told by the man himself during a meet up at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur. Read this article and get some interesting details about Utkarsh Dwivedi, an ambidextrous Indian bowler.
The magic of wrists
As Indian limited over teams dumped their experienced duo of Ashwin and Jadeja in search of modern weapons, a chinaman bowler from the leather city of India, Kanpur became third Indian to grab a hat trick in ODIs back in 2017 against Australia. The duo of Kuldeep and Chahal has already wreaked havoc on their opposition not just in India, but in the unfavourable conditions of England and Australia too. Two in one package
Now imagine if India could field a third wrist spinner? Two in one package who can bowl left-arm chinaman against David Warner and right arm leg spin against Steven Smith? Seems like a fantasy, but if you are an Aussie or an English, the article might give you some nightmares probably. Unbelievable Control
Utkarsh Dwivedi, from the hometown of Kuldeep Yadav, can make it to any playing XI as a leg spinner, as well as a chinaman too. His control on both of his arm is so amazing that you can't differentiate whether he is naturally a left-hander or a right-hander. His control over both the disciplines of bowling is equally amazing as well.Small town boy, big dreams
Utkarsh who started playing cricket as a six-year-old kid in front of his house joined Kamla Club in 2010. Life has not always been kind to the young man. He lost his father when he was just two years old. Being the kid of a single mother belonging to a middle-class family, Utkarsh faced some of the harsh realities of life that any middle-class teenager goes through. Despite not getting any financial or moral support from back home, Utkarsh is still chasing his dream of donning the blue jersey. He defines the game of cricket as oxygen to him. The 21-year-old idealizes Iqbal. Before you start scratching your head, it's the character of Shreyas Talpade in the movie 'Iqbal'. The Accidental Ambidextrous
So was Utkarsh an ambidextrous since birth? Or did he gain the superpowers overnight? Well, The answer is that actually, Utkarsh is an accidental ambidextrous. Back in 2014 he got into a road accident and had his right hand damaged to an extent that doctors advised him to avoid bowling for over 8 months. Instead, Utkarsh kept visiting the ground and started bowling left-arm chinaman just as an experiment. After a few days, he felt like gaining a bit of control with his deliveries. A confident Utkarsh continued working on his left arm while his natural hand was still being healed. By the time it healed, Utkarsh was already ambidextrous.Lack of opportunities
Despite the abundant amount of talent that Utkarsh has got, he is yet to represent his state at any level. Why? Only the state selectors know the answer. Back in 2014, he got a gig at the top level when Mumbai Indians called him up for their reserve squad but unfortunately, it was a short-lived dream for him. Since then he is still struggling around playing club cricket in various states. Recently he went to Pune for the Ranji trophy selection games but unfortunately, the games were washed out. He's been a regular fixture in the Kolkata's A division leagues and regularly tops the A division charts in the KCA league.Never say never
Despite all the disappointments, Utkarsh still believes in his abilities and his magic on the field is going on. Don't be surprised if you see a leg spinner turning it past the edge of Joe Roots and a chinaman doing same to Eion Morgan in the same over in the coming years.