Imagine picking up 14 wickets on your debut to break a record that had stood for nearly two decades. Dream start, right? But if you add the fact that you weren’t even supposed to be in the team originally, it gets even more interesting. Now, you might think this is the script for a new Bollywood movie about some fictional cricketer. Let me tell you, it is not. A young bowler has done exactly this.
But before we get to the name and further details of the cricketer, there is another intriguing layer to this story. The cricketer who has achieved this dramatic feat never actually imagined doing it by turning the ball away from a right-handed batter. For most of his early cricketing development, he aspired to be a fast bowler. Spin was introduced into his progress arc much later as an experiment. However, seven wickets in one match gradually turned that experiment into his career.
The signs of an extraordinary spinning talent gradually developing in this young prospect were already there, although not many outside Haryana cricket would have noticed them. He has done wonders in a very short span. There was a five-wicket haul in U-16 cricket, and then a remarkable 9/12 came in the Cooch Behar Trophy, opening the doors to senior cricket. In his first two Ranji matches, he picked up ten wickets, including the prized wicket of Abhimanyu Easwaran twice against Bengal. The name behind all of it is Tanmay Baloda.
On his U-19 debut for India, Baloda has now pushed himself into discussions beyond the small circle that had been observing his cricketing journey. Against Australia, he picked up 6/32 in the first innings and followed it up with 8/41 in the second. His match figures read 14/73 as he played the leading role in IndiaтАЩs 10-wicket victory in Ahmedabad. Wisden reports that these are the best match figures recorded in the history of Youth Test cricket. Baloda broke Tim SoutheeтАЩs record of 12/92, which the New Zealand pacer had recorded against India in 2007.
From aspiring pacer to a persistent left-arm spinner
India have been on the hunt for a traditional spinner for the longest format for quite some time. BalodaтАЩs numbers are spectacular, but jumping to a larger conclusion so soon would be burdening the young man with expectations. Looking beyond the stats, however, it is the bowler’s method that has impressed many. He bowled long spells, remained consistent with his areas and forced the Aussies to keep playing at him.
In the first innings of the match, he bowled 25 overs, and 11 of them were maidens. Three of his six wickets came in the first four overs after his introduction into the attack. He showed persistence, patience and grit as a spinner. And that is becoming almost as important as the numbers themselves. For a bowler who was once looking to make his career as a pacer, the level of resilience and control he displayed was quite extraordinary.
Baloda continued to bowl fast in the first year of his U-16 district cricket career. Then, for a couple of matches, he experimented with spin. One of those games produced seven wickets, and that was effectively curtains on the pacer he was trying to become. He started bowling left-arm spin, and gradually a persistent, nagging spinner began to take shape.
However, his journey to India colours was not smooth. He missed the 2026 U-19 World Cup after progressing relatively slowly through the age-group system. By the time he made it to the Indian team against Australia, he had already earned his Ranji Trophy debut. Against Assam, he picked up five wickets across the two innings. He followed it up with five more scalps against Bengal, where he also accounted for Abhimanyu Easwaran in both innings.
Even his U-19 opportunity came as a surprise. Baloda was originally not a part of the squad named for the Australia series. Rohit Yadav was in the mix but had to withdraw due to age-related discrepancies, creating a replacement spot. Baloda was at the BCCI Centre of Excellence when he received the call. In the first match of the series, he watched from the sidelines before being drafted into the XI for the second game.
By the end of the match, Baloda had 14 wickets under his belt on his U-19 debut and, as confirmed by WisdenтАЩs numbers, a world record. The interesting part is that his U-19 career might not be a long one because of his age. However, while other players often use U-19 cricket as a platform to break into senior cricket, Baloda had already played in the Ranji Trophy before India U-19 properly utilised him.
The match against Australia has merely ensured that everyone in the cricketing fraternity now takes notice of him, too.
