History was made for both Indian and American cricket on January 19th at the DLF India Premier League 3 Auction.  Nineteen year old Harshal Patel, was among the three U-19 players, the first Gujarat Cricket Association player, and the first to have played any cricket in USA to join the Mumbai Indians.

For 19 year old Harshal, a USA Green Card holder who played the 2008 season with Aggressive Cricket Club in the Cricket League of New Jersey, this is a dream come true.  (Well almost - his dream is also to earn a test cap!)

In Harshal's case, the journey was paved with hard decisions.  When Harshal's family emigrated to USA when he was still 15 years old, he was in a dilemma.   His coach wanted him to stay back in Gujarat.  “I was aware of Harshal’s capabilities," his coach Tarak Trivedi said and he pleaded with Harshal's family to give him a couple of years.  After much persuasion, Harshal's family finally relented, agreeing that Harshal would spend summers in USA but would continue his training under the guidance of Mr. Trivedi.

"I left a cosy life in New Jersey because I always wanted to be a cricketer," the second year student at HA College of Commerce told Times of India last summer, thanking his parents for encouraging his love for cricket.  "I live alone and just practise day in and out.  I have got lots of love and care from friends around me."

In fact, his years of independence may have helped.  "By staying alone and managing everything on his own, Harshal has matured a lot as a person which is also reflected in his performance," Gujarat U-19 coach Ashok Mankad told TOI.

The IPL Draft - Proud Parents in New Jersey

On January 19th, the drama played out in three different timezones.  It was mid-afternoon in India and IPL 3.0 auction was just winding down at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai.  The event had already seen more than its fair share of extravagance and drama.   Several big players saw no bidders and some like Pollard were grabbed for jaw-dropping amounts. 

At 1:54PM, just before he brought the proceedings to an end, the IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi announced that Harshal Patel had been picked up by Nita Ambani of Mumbai Indians for Rs. 8,00,000.  Harshal was the last of the three U-19 players to be drafted into the league, a first for that league.

For Harshal's parents - Vikram Patel and Darshna Patel, who are residents of Linden, New Jersey, January 18th had been another day at work at Terminal C of Newark International Airport.  Vikram works with Prime Flight Aviation and Darshna at the Dunkin Donuts.  They went to sleep hoping that their boy, who was in New Zealand as part of the India U-19 team playing in the ICC U-19 World Cup, would have a good day on the other side of the world. 

Little did they realize that the emerging medium-pacer would realize his dreams of becoming a professional cricketer as the new day dawned.

Speaking to DreamCricket.com, Vikram Patel said, "Harshal has been playing cricket since he was a toddler and has been training with Coach Tarak Trivedi since he was 8.  It is a matter of great pride and a source of great joy that his dreams have come true.  And I hope that he will continue to do well.  This is just the beginning."

Over in New Zealand, when he heard the news on January 21st, Harshal was so overwhelmed that “he was speechless,” Trivedi said speaking about Harshal's reaction to the news.  Among the many things that Harshal was excited about was the prospect of being part of a team led by his idol - Sachin Tendulkar!

Harshal's next challenge will not find it easy to be part of the playing eleven - Mumbai has several big-name bowlers that will also be laying claim to that spot - Zaheer Khan, Dilhara Fernando, Dwayne Bravo and Dhaval Kulkarni.  However, just being part of the squad will help him grow as a cricketer.  In the words of Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah: “Sachin’s guidance will make him a thinking cricketer, and he will benefit from this in future matches.”

A right-arm seamer with a big outswinger, Harshal Patel's rise was impressive from an early age.  Harshal scored a double-hundred in school cricket playing for Hiramani and was gaining in reputation as a bowler. He took 23 wickets (at an average of 11) in the 2008-09 Under-19 Vinoo Mankad Trophy with best bowling figures of 5-27 against Baroda.

In March of 2009, Harshal was selected for India's victorious U-19 tour of Australia where he did well in seamer-friendly conditions getting 3 for 32 in a three day match at Perth.  Very soon, he was named to the U-19 squad to the ICC U-19 World Cup.

Prodigious talent - Immediately made a mark in USA

In New Jersey, where he turned out for Aggressive CC in CLNJ in 2008, his talent was immediately noticed. 

"In a match against NJIT, he shared the new ball with former international and West Indies paceman Reon King.  And I remember it was Reon, who was standing at first slip, he was astonished with the young boy's accuracy and clean bowling action, saying to me that we have a star in front of us," Santosh Dani who played for Aggressive CC told DreamCricket.com.

NJIT and Atlantic Region cricketer Siddharth Mehta remembers the day like it was yesterday.  He was the batsman facing Harshal.  "We had heard about Harshal Patel because he had played U-16 cricket back in Gujarat with Rajdev Patel, who also plays in CLNJ.  But he was only 16 or 17, so how bad could it be, we thought.  But let me tell you, the boy was lethal!  We were stunned to see the pace he was generating on a ho-hum New Jersey track!  I said to myself - he must play for my team NJIT next season." 

Little did he realize that NJIT was going to be competing with India for the boy's time!  In the summer of 2009, although Harshal was on NJIT roster and spent the summer in New Jersey, he did not play because he was already signed up to play for India U-19.  And even though he will become eligible for USA citizenship in the coming years, he may never play for USA.