By Sudeep Sonawane | Opening Doorz Editorial | January 14, 2026
In Indian cricket, failure usually comes with a full stop. No comeback, no second act. Yet the modern game, bloated and booming, has created a strange exception, where men who never made it still find a way to matter. Meet Abhishek Jain, whose work as a side-arm specialist now shapes India’s elite batters, proving modern cricket still allows a second innings.
Cricket’s Expanding Backroom
Cricket, unlike life, occasionally allows a second innings. Not to everyone. Not always in whites. Sometimes, not even with a bat or ball in hand, but with a long plastic spatula, standing 22 yards away, unseen by the crowd.
Indian cricket’s economic boom over the past three decades has altered the game in ways the 1970s and 80s could never have imagined. Once, a cricketer either made it or faded quietly into club matches and office leagues. Today, the ecosystem is vast. Support staff teams have grown larger than playing XIs—filled with specialists whose names never appear on scorecards but whose influence is deeply felt.
Beyond head coaches and selectors now sit batting consultants, bowling specialists, fielding coaches, analysts, psychologists, dieticians, videographers, and media managers. And then there is a newer, quieter role, one born in the high-speed demands of modern batting: the side-arm throw specialist.
It is here that Abhishek Jain found his way back to cricket.
When the Dream Ends Early
A Dahisar-based off-spinner who could bat a bit, Jain once carried the same dreams as thousands of Mumbai boys before him; Ranji caps, India colours, packed maidans. But dreams, in Indian cricket, require more than talent. They require time, travel, equipment, coaching, and money.
“Like most young players, I dreamt of playing for Mumbai and India,” he says. “My career ended before it began. My family couldn’t afford to support a professional cricket journey.”
For many, that is where the story ends. For Jain, it was a detour.
Failure did not embitter him. Instead, it nudged him sideways—towards the nets, towards understanding the game from the other end. “I realised over time that helping others play well was my strength,” he says. “Not just me playing.”
A Sideways Step Back Into the Game
The breakthrough came when he began specialising in throwdowns; hard, fast, repeatable deliveries designed to simulate international pace without exhausting fast bowlers. Using the side-arm tool, Jain could hurl the ball consistently at speeds touching 150 kmph, sharpening reflexes and technique in ways few bowlers could sustain over long sessions.
Soon, the calls came. K L Rahul was the first Test batter he worked with. Sanju Samson followed in ODIs. Then the list grew—Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma. Even Sachin Tendulkar.
Among all the names, it is that last one that still makes him pause. “Giving throwdowns to Sachin Tendulkar felt unreal,” Jain says. “He is the god of Indian cricket. Watching him bat from that close is something I will always cherish.”
Jain’s journey has taken him through IPL franchises and elite dressing rooms—Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, the Mumbai Ranji team, and the Celebrity Cricket League. He has worked alongside respected coaches such as Lalchand Rajput, Balwinder Sandhu, Amol Muzumdar, Dinesh Lad, Abhishek Nayar, and others. A five-year stint at Lad’s Academy and a role as assistant coach at Poddar International School remain among his proudest phases.
Moments That Stay Longer Than Matches
Even the stars, he says, leave impressions. Ajinkya Rahane stands out. “He is the most humble batsman I’ve worked with. In today’s hyper-competitive cricket, that humility is rare.”
Then there was Jasprit Bumrah. During a practice session at the BKC ground, Bumrah handed Jain the ball to shine. Jain joked that the pitch wasn’t great and wickets would be hard to come by. Bumrah dismissed the batter with the very next delivery, smiling on his way back.
Does throwing with a side-arm really help batsmen? Jain is emphatic. “Yes. We can simulate speeds above 150 kmph. The long handle generates extra pace and different angles. It also reduces the workload on fast bowlers.”
The Physical Price of Staying Useful
The job is not without cost. Jain throws between 250 and 300 balls per session, tailoring pace and trajectory to each batsman’s needs. Shoulder strain is inevitable. He has dealt with minor injuries and recovered through physiotherapy, another quiet sacrifice far from the floodlights.
Cricket has been kind to him the second time around. It wasn’t always so for players of earlier eras.
In the 70s and 80s, the game was unforgiving. There were no second careers, no support ecosystems. Talented cricketers toiled endlessly in first-class cricket or settled into local leagues, their Test dreams unresolved.
Modern cricket, for all its excesses, offers alternatives. It allows people like Abhishek Jain to stay part of the game. To contribute, to belong, to matter.
Not everyone gets a second innings. But sometimes, cricket remembers.
All Images: Abhishek Jain
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