With five wickets in an over, Abhimanyu Mithun changes headlines – cricket

Seamer Abhimanyu Mithun, who has four Test caps, is thrilled to have starred in Karnataka’s semi-final victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament on Friday. Thanks to a spectacular last over where he dismissed five Haryana batsmen—equalling Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Hossain’s all-time T20 record set in 2013—he would again feature in the news, this time for the right reasons.

Friday started on a very different note for Mithun as he woke up to reports that said he was on the radar after being summoned for questioning by the Bengaluru police for investigations into the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) fixing scandal. Those in the know however said Mithun may have been called for questioning as a witness.

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Unfazed by the reports and an expensive third over, Mithun used all his experience and guile to bowl the dramatic last over in Surat to finish with figures of 5/39 in his four. “I used a lot of slower ones. Once I got the first two wickets with slower ones, I backed myself to use more of them. I was so happy and celebrated because now I have hat-tricks in all the formats—Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 overs) and this,” he said after the match.

Mithun’s hat-trick comprised wickets of the in-form Himanshu Rana, Rahul Tewatia and Sumit Kumar. He also went on to pick Amit Mishra off the fourth delivery through a knuckle ball and Jayant Yadav off the final delivery to complete a dramatic over. “You don’t plan these things. But it’s like a dream come true. One over can change a lot. I have worked really hard in the off-season, so am reaping fruits for all the hard work,” he said.

This is Mithun’s second hat-trick this season following the one he got last month on his birthday to help Karnataka win the Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Tamil Nadu. The 30 year old had made his Test debut in the 2010 tour of Sri Lanka where he got a four-wicket haul on debut in Galle. He went on to play three more Tests and five ODIs but could not live up to his early promise.

Mithun has moved on from times when he used to be aware of every selection meet, hoping for a recall. But his current form rekindles hope. “You never know. One good game and you may get an India call again. So whatever opportunity you get, you have to deliver,” he said. Mithun last played an IPL in 2013 but with the auction scheduled next month, he remains positive.