support@headlinenews360.com
A slower ball, full and wide outside off, and Shreyas Iyer couldn’t quite middle it. However, due to enough power, the ball went over long on for a six during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25 final in Bengaluru. A ball later, Tripuresh bowled another slower ball on length, this time keeping it wide. Shreyas went too early; the ball hit the bottom of the bat and lobbed straight to mid-off.
Right-arm quick, a wrong-footed menace – Tripuresh.
He runs in with the ball in his left hand, switching it to the right just before both hands rotate in the air; his load up begins from the right leg, unlike the usual left, leading to a deceptive action. It’s no surprise that his favourite bowler is “The Jasprit Bumrah,” as he calls him.
A glance at his Instagram handle – r_a_b_a_d_a – shows the nickname given by friends when he sported a bald look, referring to South African pacer Kagiso Rabada. Although he missed a chance to meet Rabada – one of his favourite fast bowlers – during the Indian Premier League (IPL), his brief encounter with Bumrah was a fanboy moment.
“I met him at Wankhede (stadium). We just shook hands, didn’t speak much, but it was a great feeling,” Tripuresh told Sportstar.
Much like his idol, he has drawn attention for his unique action.
The 23-year-old picked up two wickets in the SMAT final that Madhya Pradesh lost. However, his maiden tournament with the senior team got him the exposure he needed. He finished as MP’s second-highest wicket-taker, claiming 11 wickets in eight games at an economy of 7.97.
Before SMAT, Tripuresh surprised a few during the inaugural season of the Madhya Pradesh T20 league in 2024, where he represented Jabalpur Lions. In five games, he picked up nine wickets at an economy of 8.30.
The deceptive yet effective action earned him a spot as a travelling support bowler with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2025 IPL season. There, he worked with team mentor Zaheer Khan and had conversations about his bowling.
“We discussed developing an outswinger. He gave me some tips related to it, so I’m working on it right now,” Tripuresh said. A major takeaway from his LSG stint was to back his instincts. “Everyone has similar skill sets; one who uses his instincts to effect will be successful.“
The seamer spent his early years in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, before relocating to Satna, Madhya Pradesh after his father was transferred there as an executive manager in an RO company.
Tripuresh soon started playing age-group and division cricket. “My action made it hard for batters to read me, and I got a good swing too.”
Amay Khurasiya, a former India international, spotted the pacer during an Under-16 divisional game and got him into his academy in Indore. His wrong-footed action meant the coaches had to devise a tailored training program to prevent injury.
“We sat down with the physios and trainers and devised a plan as per the basic body anatomy and the biomechanics,” Khurasiya, who has been a coach with the MPCA for 11 years, said.
“It was one thing to change his action completely and what he was doing as a child. But then it would have been completely revamping a new process. It would have been very difficult and unfair to the child. His love for the game would have stopped, and he might have shifted away from the game because it would have been cruel to him. He would have lost his flair,” Khurasiya, who has also coached the likes of Rajat Patidar, explained.
ALSO READ: Ishan Kishan joins Nottinghamshire for two County Championship matches
“He had a very unique thing with his action. So, we realised which angle was giving him more strain and which side he was using more. We started training his side harder, making it stronger till he was with us,” he further added.
Tripuresh now says that his action doesn’t require much change. “Just a few tweaks here and there; working on the wrist.”
“He’s one of the best death overs bowlers in Madhya Pradesh.” Ritik Tada, who practices with him in Faith Cricket Club and currently plays for Jabalpur Lions, said. “He mostly bowls yorkers and gets the ball to reverse, so it’s not easy to hit him,” he added.
Khurasiya rates him as one of the top upcoming talents from the State, and so do the scouts sitting in Gwalior watching him bowl for Chambal Ghadiyals at the MPT20 league 2025 season, where he has so far picked up two wickets in three games. “As long as you remain committed, do the hard work, and be disciplined, success will come to you,” Khurasiya said.
