'Please don’t take this one wicket' - Ashok Dinda reveals a story when he requested Mohammed Shami not to take a wicket

Ashok Dinda, on February 2, retired from all forms of cricket. He is one of the best pacers who have come out of Bengal. After having a long career with Bengal, he had moved to Goa for the last season. He was a prominent player in Ranji Trophy cricket. After this season of the tournament was called off, he decided to retire from all forms of cricket. 

In a recent interaction, Dinda revealed a story about him and Indian pacer Mohammed Shami. The two had formed a formidable duo while playing for Bengal in Ranji Trophy and other tournaments. The story he shared was from the time he played his 100th first-class match. He explained how he told Shami not to pick a wicket. 

Please don’t take this one wicket, leave it for me: Ashok Dinda 

Dinda revealed that the two had bowled fantastically in that match and gotten close to a 10-wicket haul. “I remember the last time I played with Shami, it was my 100th first-class match against Chhattisgarh. We finished the match in two days. Both Shami and I claimed five wickets each in the first innings. Then, in the second innings, both of us had picked up four wickets each,” Dinda said during an interaction with Sportskeeda. 

Dinda then revealed that he asked Shami not to pick his 10th wicket so that he can get a 10-wicket haul in his 100th first-class game. “So, I needed only one wicket to complete a 10-wicket match haul in my 100th first-class game. I told Shami, ‘Listen, I have never asked for any favours from you, but please don’t take this one wicket, leave it for me,'” added Dinda. “We kept all the fielders in the slips when we were bowling. Eventually, I managed to take 10 wickets, and thanked Shami.”

Dinda played 116 first-class matches and picked up 420 wickets. He played 13 ODIs and nine T20Is as well. He had picked up 12 and 17 wickets in ODIs and T20Is respectively. The 36-year-old shares a close friendship with Mohammed Shami, who then went on to become one of the leading bowlers for the Indian team. Dinda played the last international match for India in 2013.