Patience, belief and perseverance: The Devendra Bundela way

It is from this city that the cricketing sojourns of Madhya Pradesh captain Devendra Bundela started nearly three decades ago, and who knew that it would last for eternity and beyond. Indian Domestic cricket will always have his name indelibly etched in its annals.

“Leaving home at such an early age was pretty tough. But I left home to achieve something in cricket. So I had to live through it. My parents were pretty supportive towards me and that made me more comfortable,” Bundela told SportsCafe in an exclusive chat.

A half-century on debut for MP Under-16 side and consistent performances in almost every game that MP played made sure that he was graduated to the MP under-19 squad and then to India under-19 for a game against Australia. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in the year 1995-96 against Tamil Nadu.

But, it was the year 1999-00 that he remembers as the most unforgettable phase of his life. Madhya Pradesh made it to the finals of the Ranji Trophy and Bundela made a whopping 1,008 runs from 11 innings in the season. But after taking the first-innings lead, MP collapsed in the second to miss the revered Trophy by a whisker.

Bundela, or as he popularly known as Bundi Bhai among the Indian cricketing circles, was made the captain of the Madhya Pradesh Ranji Team when Hrishikesh Kanitkar quit MP to play for  Rajasthan in the year 2010. Then, MP were reeling in the plate group and was struggling to get going against good teams.

The additional responsibility of captaincy acted as a motivation for him to perform better as he went on to average 93.66 that year and led MP to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Karnataka.

Bundela recounted the days, “It was a very tough time for Madhya Pradesh cricket. But that was not in our control. We were asked to concentrate on our game. A lot of youngsters were in the team. They needed motivation. It was my duty to keep them motivated and not get distracted by what happened off the pitch. We had to move on, which was difficult, but we still had to believe we could win.”

He incorporated that belief and transmitted it to every member of the squad, and it was not a surprise that MP made it to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy in the 2015-16 season. Players like Jalaj Saxena, Naman Ojha, Ishwar Pandey, Ankit Sharma, and Harpreet Singh Bhatia vindicated the price of that belief and took the onus on their shoulders. Although, Mumbai made it to the finals by taking the first-innings lead, it was Madhya Pradesh’s fightback that had a lasting impression.

As much as his ability to score big and leadership skills get mentioned while describing him, it is his humane side that catches the eye when you look closer. If calmness and simplicity ever needed an example, it is Devendra Bundela. At a day and age when cricketers choose to be more politically correct in front of media, men like Bundela sit to talk vividly about their life and open up unlike players of his stature.

As Bundela himself admits, he may call time on his illustrious career after the end of this season. When it does happen, one cannot just sit and applaud the contribution that he has made for his state’s cricketing growth. For those who follow Ranji Trophy with avid keenness, Bundela is an unparalleled legend.