IPL Deal Helps 'Tennis-Ball' Star Convince Father To Give Up Cobbler's Job

A Rs 20 lakh contract may not sound like much when deals worth crores were sealed at the IPL auction but for tennis-ball sensation Ramesh Kumar, it has ensured that his father doesn't have to make a living as a cobbler and his mother no longer needs to criss-cross villages in Punjab's Fazilka district to sell bangles. Ramesh, who is better known as 'Narine Jalalabad' in tennis-ball circles, was already a youtube star due to his exploits with both bat and ball. Post the auction and the signing with Kolkata Knight Riders last weekend, his remarkable story has reached a wider audience.

Even as a tennis ball 'nomad', he requested his ageing parents to stop working but they would "never listen" to him. An IPL deal, however, has finally convinced them that their son can have a future in the game and they need not slog.

"They have finally agreed to not work anymore. I never wanted them to do this work in the first place but it had to be done out of necessity," Ramesh, who once blasted a 10-ball 50 in a local tournament, told PTI.

He also plans to use the IPL money for the education of his younger brothers.

The phone has been buzzing non stop since KKR made a winning bid for him at the auction but Ramesh remains grounded and focussed.

"Life has not changed yet paaji, life will change when I perform in the IPL. The way I see it, I have finally got the platform I needed," he said.

The 23-year-old from Jalalabad plied his trade in tennis-ball tournaments across India for seven years but it was only last year he got a taste of 'leather' ball. Ramesh impressed in Punjab Cricket Association's district level tournament following which he was called for the Ranji Trophy camp.

He owes his career to senior Punjab batter and IPL regular