An accidental turn led Harsh Dubey to cricket, now the left-arm spinner is making a big impact

An ode to a sequence from Irrfan Khan’s 2013 movie, The Lunchbox, is artfully etched with the late actor’s infectious smile on the walls of a winding road in his hometown, near the Jaipur Railway junction. Those serendipitous words will always resonate with Vidarbha’s young left-arm spinner, Harsh Dubey, as his burgeoning career explores new corners of the country after chancing upon cricket “ accident”.
Into his second full-fledged season after valiant exploits in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai, the 22-year-old has sped to 42 wickets in six games, leading the charts thus far this edition.
On Friday, Dubey exhibited why he is regarded among the most promising left-arm spinners on the circuit when he held his own on a deceiving track at the KL Saini Stadium even as Rajasthan went ahead 100 runs in the first innings.
Rajasthan captain Mahipal Lomror and wicket-keeper Samarpit Joshi unfurled shots that no batter could pull off the previous day in seaming conditions. Picking on erring lengths from the bowlers, the duo reduced the overnight deficit of 64 against Vidarbha’s 165 within 18 overs drinks in the morning. That was before Dubey settled into his rhythm again, finishing with his fourth five-wicket haul (5/81) of the season.
The pronounced revs he imparts on the red SG ball have begun to spur interest in the higher circles. But Dubey’s trust in cricket began with an accidental deviation, back in Nagpur, when he was nine.
“We took a wrong turn one day when my father and I were going to buy my fourth-standard school books. I came across cricket practice at an academy there and asked my father what it was. He explained that’s where cricketers were made, and I got hooked and said I wanted to play too,” Dubey tells The Indian Express.
There are qualities that Dubey has nailed down early on in his First-Class career. Revelling on slow turners and flat tracks has been easier for the youngster after fruitful stints in the off-season, playing the TNCA first-division league in scorching Chennai. Interactions with the legendary off-spinner R Ashwin during his time and coursing different types of pitches in the Tamil Nadu league have helped him expand his versatility.
Dubey’s relentless attack at the crease rises from a couple of quirks in his classical action. Building on a run-up similar to India’s red-ball maverick Ravindra Jadeja, Dubey sparks with variety in his final motion at the crease. His strides see his backfoot spring twice within the bowling crease, enabling a strong final pivot down the strip.
A comparatively higher release complements his neat front-foot landing, helping him maintain higher chances of consent drift even when the chips are down.
Despite his 23 wickets last season – comprising eight with a five-for in the Ranji final – Dubey was overlooked for the season-opening Duleep Trophy in September 2024.
“Expectations will always be there to get picked for bigger tournaments when you are performing. I wasn’t disappointed (on missing Duleep). I was only looking to improve in other aspects, my fitness, batting and fielding during the off-season,” he says.
Handy with the bat too
The results were there to see in his only innings in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, blasting a 30-ball 63 with 10 boundaries in the final to offer a semblance of hope for Vidarbha in a chase that eventually slipped away.
Dubey continues to turn up for the age-group sides when not leading the spin attack across formats, packing in four Under-23 one-day games within 12 days between the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and VHT last month.
Besides his on-field grind, Dubey’s parents sacrificed their careers for his career. “I was born in Pune and we had to move cities as my father worked with the CISF. I only began playing after we moved from Mumbai to Nagpur in 2010. Later my dad was to be transferred to a far-off place, but he decided to quit the force for my career. My mother was a teacher and used to take me for practice daily after school, but it was all becoming difficult for us,” he says.
As the ball progressively kept low in the final stretch of the day’s play, Rajasthan left-arm spinners Ajay Kookna and Manav Suthar dented the Vidarbha top-order, leaving them hanging with a 16-run lead at the cost of four wickets.
The visitors will believe another all-round Dubey show is in store on Saturday, with their own left-arm spin lynchpin calling the final shots in Jaipur.
Brief Scores: Vidarbha 165 and 84/4 in 32 overs; Rajasthan 265 all out in 87.4 overs(Joshi 78, Lomror 72, Dubey 5/81).