Vinay Kumar, cricketer
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Sources
Auto driver’s son rises RCB’s Vinay Kumar picked for T20 WC// Satish Viswanathan | TNN The Times of India<> Pavitra Jayaraman, LiveMint
Career highlights
The Royal Challengers Bangalore, R Vinay Kumar — was included in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
Ranganath Vinay Kumar DoB: February 12, 1984
Teams: India ‘A’, India Red, South Zone, Karnataka, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Belagavi Panthers (KPL)
Role: Right-arm medium pacer and right-hand batsman.
First class debut: versus Bengal in Kolkata (Ranji Trophy), November 7-10, 2004.
First-class record till 2010: 54 matches (44 Ranji ties, 8 Duleep ties and two India ‘A’ matches); 202 wickets at 24.19; best: 8-32; 10 five-wicket hauls
T20 debut: Versus Kerala in Vizag (SZ inter-state tourney) in 2007
T20 record till 2010: 35 matches (9 inter-state/Syed Mushtaq Ali ties, 24 IPL ties, two Champions League ties); 34 wickets at 25.70; economy 7.89, best: 4-40 My parents sacrificed a lot for me: Vinay
Early life
Kumar spent a large part of his childhood in Davangere, Karnataka—a quiet town known for its several educational institutions.
Born in Shimoga (Karnataka) to Ranganath N.D. and Sowbhagya, Kumar remembers his days in Shimoga as being fairly comfortable. “We were there till my fourth standard and then my father’s business (of running a club and a small farm) failed. We shifted to Davangere,” says Kumar.
“My father didn’t have a steady income then, he tried various small business opportunities and even drove an autorickshaw for three-four years,” he says, pointing out quickly that though he knew of the family financial status, it didn’t bother him.
The late Prakash Powar, who ran a free camp in Davangere, first spotted Kumar’s talent when he was 12. “I used to play with a tennis ball when he invited me to try leather. I trained with him for long and got my first break when I played for the Tumkur Zone in an under-16 tournament.” There was no looking back for the seamer, who adds that being the first born in the family added a sense of responsibility. He has a younger brother and sister.
It was in the late 1990s, as a 13-yearold, that the talent of R Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka bowler selected for the T20 World Cup, was first spotted — as a batsman. His father drove an auto-rickshaw to support his family. He still encouraged his son to play the game. “My parents have sacrificed a lot for me. We weren’t financially strong, and me being the eldest, it was my duty to take care of them. But looking at my interest in the game, they encouraged me to continue playing. They never made me feel guilty about the fact that I wasn’t helping them in running the family,” an emotion-filled Vinay told The Times of India.
“Once we realized he had talent, we didn’t have the heart to stop him from playing. It was tough but we did what we had to do,” said his father. “Being a sportsman myself (he used to dabble in athletics and kabaddi), I understood his needs. He was never short of encouragement; our family chipped in, my friends helped and his coach, Prakash Sir, provided the cricket equipment,” said Vinay’s dad Ranganath, who is proud that he could provide all his three kids with education.
“Actually, I don’t how we managed. I drove my auto day and night. Before I realized it, Vinay and his sister completed their BCom while my second son will do the same soon,” added Ranganath.
“I was never told that I have to support the family, but I knew that this was my duty,” he says. A commerce graduate, Kumar and family moved to Bangalore in 2004 after he started representing Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy, which also earned him a job with Vijaya Bank. Two years ago, RCB signed him on for $30,000 (roughly Rs 19 lakh).
All that of course has changed since his Karnataka Ranji Trophy debut in 2004-05, thanks to the BCCI opening its purse strings to first class cricketers as well, Vinay’s financial problems have been taken care of. He wasted no time in getting his family to move to Bangalore from Davanagere. And, yes, there is no more driving autos for his father. Instead, he can sit back and proudly watch his son take the long flight to the Caribbean.
Selection to national team
After he bowled out Sachin Tendulkar of the Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match last month, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) R. Vinay Kumar believed he would make it to the Indian team for the Twenty20 World Cup. “A friend had joked that if I bowl Tendulkar out, my place is reserved,” smiles Kumar shyly.
Just six days later, Kumar’s name was in the list for the team headed to the West Indies.
2021, retirement
Manuja Veerappa, February 27, 2021: The Times of India
From: Manuja Veerappa, February 27, 2021: The Times of India
Vinay Kumar retires after 25 thriving years
Beng aluru:
When R Vinay Kumar left his modest home in Davanagere for Bengaluru as a teenager, all he had going for him was his talent, ability to work hard and a dream which he was determined to bring to fruition.
Over the next two decades, he gave his all on the field for India, Karnataka and various clubs he turned out for. The result: An India cap in all three formats, seven major domestic titles as captain and 504 first-class wickets from 139 matches at an average of 22.44, of which a record 442 are Ranji Trophy scalps.
On Friday, two weeks after turning 37, the domestic giant decided to hang up his boots. The lion-hearted medium-pacer announced his decision in a two-page statement posted on social media.
“Today ‘Davangere Express’ after running for 25 years and passing so many stations of cricketing life, has finally arrived at a station called “Retirement”. With a lot of mixed emotions, I, Vinay Kumar R, hereby announce my retirement from international and first-class cricket. It is not an easy decision to make, however, there comes a time in every sportsperson’s life where one has to call it a day,” Vinay said in a statement on Twitter.
The announcement brought the curtains down on an illustrious career which began in 2004, when he made his Ranji Trophy debut against Bengal under the captaincy of J Arun Kumar.
Riding on a fiery domestic record, Vinay made his debut for the country at the ICC World T20 against Sri Lanka in the West Indies in 2010. In his three-year stint with the national team, he featured in 31 ODIs, nine T20s and a lone Test match against Australia in Perth. He finished with 49 international wickets across formats. While his India stint was short-lived, he continued to be one of the top performers on the domestic circuit.
Vinay told TOI his decision to quit wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment call. “It wasn’t a sudden decision. I had thought about it for a year. I’ve achieved almost everything I set out to do and I enjoyed playing for every team I represented. So, I retire without any regrets,” said the former Karnataka skipper.
