Mahesh Pithiya knows what an overnight shot to fame feels like. He basked in it three years ago, when a touring Australian Test team scouted him from Instagram reels to counter their biggest sub-continent spin nemesis, his idol, R Ashwin.
Four matches into his First-Class career, a label stuck to Pithiya, then 21. After bowling in Bengaluru and Nagpur with the mighty Aussies and a fleeting interaction with Ashwin, only the name remained. Pithiya had become the “duplicate” Ashwin, the ‘Ashwin impersonator’.
He has lived in those shadows long enough.
Pithiya now relies on an unglamorous grind that strives to banish those early impressions, thrust upon him for eyeballs before a marquee international series.
On Wednesday, the Baroda off-spinner clinched his 100th First-Class wicket in his 25th appearance. Pithiya’s nine-wicket match haul propelled the side to a smooth innings victory over Goa in Panaji in their Ranji Trophy season opener.
Hailing from an obscure village in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, Pithiya’s worldview has shifted over time. There is no Ashwin to counter, but if the Aussies come calling before the next Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in early 2027, he has an answer ready.
“Ab mere unke saamne khelna ka plan hai (This time I plan to play against them),” Pithiya tells The Indian Express.
The numbers stand out in bold. Since the 2023-24 season, Pithiya’s 95 wickets are the second-highest among off-spinners, only behind Jalaj Saxena (105). His eight five-fors, the latest occurring during the demolition of Goa, are the joint-best among off-spinners in the period.
Baroda off-spinner Mahesh Pithiya clinched his 100th First-Class wicket in his 25th appearance. (Photo by special arrangement)
India’s Test transition has yet to produce proven claimants for the role left vacant upon Ashwin’s retirement in late 2024. Pithiya believes he has a stake somewhere down the line.
“Ever since I started playing professional cricket, my mindset has been clear: after Ashwin, if there is anyone, it is me. Whether I end up playing or not is secondary, but my mindset is that after Ashwin, I am next,” he says.
The journey has been far from straightforward since he first watched an international cricket match at a public screening in 2013 and was left stupefied when a Tamil Nadu spinner’s action mirrored his own.
“People in my village know nothing about cricket. My father is a farmer. Leaving from there was like going against my family’s wishes. The village is nice to visit, but if you want to achieve something, you have to leave.”
Working in a tea stall
A cricketing dream first took him to Porbandar, before a coach’s advice drove the Saurashtra-born Pithiya towards Baroda in 2014. “I joined a local club, but my situation wasn’t good. I worked during the nights at a tea stall. My elder brother got a job in the city a few years later. We survived on his salary,” recalls Pithiya.
Steady progression through the age-group rungs has lifted Pithiya out of financial constraints, fuelling a sterner dream to win the India cap. “Our condition has improved once I began playing for Baroda. My entire family has shifted to the city,” he says.
Despite a trunk of wickets, Pithiya’s progression has been partially dented after Baroda failed to qualify for the Ranji Trophy knockouts over two seasons. A Duleep Trophy call-up for the West Zone has eluded him. “That is perhaps the only reason why I haven’t received the call-up. It is one of my goals to see that Baroda qualify for the knockouts this time,” the 24-year-old says.
The zonal snub did not stop the national selectors from tracking his progress. Pithiya has made the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) camp and tournament for emerging players for two successive seasons. Pithiya revelled in recent stints with spin legends Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh at the Bengaluru facility.
Former Bengal off-spinner Saurasish Lahiri, who coached the winning team that included Pithiya in the CoE’s emerging tournament, acknowledged his expanding skill set.
Any comparison with Ashwin ends beyond Pithiya’s high-arm action and approach to the crease. The technical firmness provides Pithiya greater depth over a mere copycat.
“Most spinners prepare themselves mainly for white-ball cricket today. But I have seen Mahesh and learnt about his mindset. He is prepared to go through the grind. He loved to bowl a lot at the nets. He can go on for hours,” Lahiri tells this newspaper.
Operating from a shorter frame than Ashwin, Pithiya relies on an innate understanding of his angles and bowling release.
“He has got a wonderful, repeatable action and brilliant release. He knows how to control the spin with a solid release point and run-up. On good wickets you have to be relentless. He is always prepared to bowl those 25-30 overs. In red-ball cricket, you have to bank on your stock ball, which he does smoothly with an efficient action. I’m happy to know how quickly he has reached 100 wickets,” Lahiri adds.
He seeks to impress no one, but a longer interaction with Ashwin remains on top of his wishlist.
Pithiya is his own man now, intent on becoming Ashwin’s successor, not his impersonator, before Australia hits the Indian shores again next summer.