Young Gohil's rise leaves Mumbai brimming with hope

MYSURU: Mumbai's domestic set up has thrown up some magnificent spinners in the past. But ever since the departure of off-spinner Ramesh Powar, Mumbai has witnessed a sudden dearth of quality spinners. Sure, the likes of Iqbal Abdulla (now Kerala), Ankush Jaiswal, Harmeet Singh (Now Jammu and Kashmir) have done their bit, but they have never really made a huge impact.But with the arrival of 21-year-old left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil, things look bright for Mumbai.
Whether he can go further than the names mentioned above, remains to be seen, but one refreshing attribute about this youngster is his action. He comes in smoothly, is big-hearted and so far has been a go-to man for Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare.
The son of a cloth merchant, Gohil began his career as a nine-year-old. He used to tag along with his older brother, who is now pursuing a career in chartered accountancy, to the Middle Income Group (MIG) club in Bandra (east). A sport which he began as a recreation, soon developed into a passion as he grew older. By the time he reached the age of sixteen, he was into bowling left-arm spin.
He was spotted by senior Mumbai pro, Kiran Mokashi when he was only ten years old. Under his guidance, Gohil started taking rapid strides towards improvement and began getting noticed. He was drafted into MIG's senior team and got an opportunity to participate in ' ' division tournaments. As time passed by and after several noticeable performances, he was picked in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance-Mumbai Cricket Association joint bowling scheme where he further honed his skills. He briefly represented Mumbai's under-19 squad in the 2013-14 season, but thereafter was back in the maidans.
With some telling performances, he was picked for Mumbai's pre-season KSCA-organised Dr (Capt) K Thimmappiah memorial tournament in July where he shone with a five-wicket haul against Gujarat. His action and consistency impressed the selectors enough to reward Gohil with a place in the senior squad.
"The first thing that impressed me was his action. His basics were also very good. I started working on him and was certain that he will play big wicket," Mokashi a renowned Mumbai off-spinner told TOI on Wednesday.
Gohil has caught the fancy of many with his performances, but on the flipside, he is still a one dimensional cricketer with work to be done on his batting and fielding in particular.
"He definitely needs to work on his fielding. I am sure he will because now he is in a professional set-up now. Trainers and the coaches will ensure that he improves in those areas," Mokashi added.
Mumbai fret over Gohil's injury
Gohil may have starred with six wickets in Mumbai's outright win against Raliways in their last Ranji Trophy match. But during the second innings, the spinner injured his finger on his bowling hand. The team management is hopeful Gohil will be fit in time for Mumbai's next match against Uttar Pradesh which begins here on November 13 considering the fact that he hasn't been sent back and no replacement called for. By the look of his finger, though, that possibility looks unlikely.