Dharmender, an assistant at a building-material shop, named his first two sons – what else, Sunny and Bobby. Later, he had a third one. Pleased, he called him Happy. Earlier this month, in his modest house, in one of the many buildings standing cheek by jowl in a bylane of Saboli in Northeast Delhi, Dharmender’s life turned into a feel-good sports movie.
‘Bobby’, who the world knows as Digvesh Rathi, has been this IPL season’s breakout spinner. Picked by Lucknow SuperGiants for Rs 30 lakh, the 25-year-old mystery spinner got the Player of the Match award for his figures of 1/21 in a high-scoring game against Mumbai Indians, in just his fourth game of his debut IPL season. That night, when Bobby was being interviewed, Dharmender shed tears, older brother Sunny had a lump in his throat and mother Manju was in the puja room.
The family has been with Digvesh through his many struggles and made sacrifices too. Brother Sunny, a former left-arm spinner, was equally good at cricket. But Dharmender couldn’t afford two cricketers in the family, so Sunny dropped out. Sunny now works as a police constable at the Mandoli Prison Complex.
Digvesh Rathi of Lucknow Super Giants bowling against Chennai Super Kings. (PHOTO: Sportzpics for IPL)
It’s Sunday, Sunny’s weekly off and he is happy to talk about his brother’s skills and struggles. “He’s here because of his sheer hard work. Digvesh had no godfather, we had no money or influence. We were advised to move out of Delhi. Par bhag kyun jaye (but why would we run away)?,” Sunny tells The Indian Express.
Dharmender says he always believed his son would make it. “Even when he suffered setbacks, he was passionate about the game,” he says while giving a quick tour of the small trophy cabinet in the living room.Digvesh’s mother Manju says she is happy to leave everything to God. “I didn’t watch when he played his first game… When he calls, I only tell Digvesh not to get carried away by success. And I check if he has slept and eaten well,” she says.
Sehwag-like cover drive
Sunny narrates the story of how Digvesh, the batsman with a Virender Sehwag-like cover drive when he was 13, took to bowling. Those days, he says, the brothers trained on their own at the Poorvi Delhi Khel Parisar in East Delhi’s Tahirpur, where batting slots were limited and in demand.
Digvesh Rathi’s brother Sunny (left), mother Manju and father Dharmender at their Saboli house. (Express Photo)
“When it was Digvesh’s turn to bat, most of the good bowlers were disinterested in bowling because he wasn’t a known name. When he played good strokes against them, their ego was hurt too. Players brought their own cricket balls, so they didn’t want to waste it on him. I would bowl to him for hours but facing only one bowler limits a batsman,” Sunny says.
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Inspired by West Indies spinner Sunil Narine’s feats with the cricket ball, Digvesh turned to bowling, aiming at a single stump for hours even as Sunny stood behind the nets and gave instructions. This would be his routine between 1 pm and 3 pm before the other trainees arrived for practice and then from 6 pm to 7 pm, after they left at sunset. “Tappe pe marta, ghanton tak (He would hit one spot for hours),” recalls Sunny.
Digvesh’s workrate has Lucknow SuperGiants head coach Justin Langer impressed. The former Australia opener had praised Digvesh, saying, “If he could bowl for 16 hours a day, he would bowl for 16 hours a day. He probably bowls in the corridor of the hotel, he bowls at breakfast, he bowls in the shower, he bowls everywhere. He just loves bowling, and he is being rewarded for years and years of practice.”
Sets of used cricket balls belonging to Digvesh Rathi, IPL 2025’s breakout star who plays for LSG
LSG’s trust
LSG’s trust in Digvesh is paying off. So far this IPL, he is joint-fourth among wicket-takers. His run-up, accuracy and subtle variation are the reasons he is being compared to the West Indian T20 great Narine. In a game against KKR, Digvesh even got Narine’s wicket. After the game, he got an audience with his idol.
Till two years ago, Digvesh didn’t have a regular coach. That’s when Vijay Dahiya, the former India and Delhi wicketkeeper, spotted him during a club game. “He would get calls from different clubs in Delhi and play for whichever team had a spot open. At one point, I had enrolled him at a reputed academy in Peeragarhi for Rs 2,500 a month but they made him sit on the bench for two years. But once Dahiya saw him at a local match, Digvesh got support. Dahiya called him to train at his Mori Gate academy,” says Sunny.
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His brother’s fortunes improved after he bagged 14 wickets in the Delhi Premier League for South Delhi Superstarz.
Dharmender’s heart swells with pride when talking about his IPL-capped son. A new refrigerator, still wrapped in its cardboard packaging, is the only recent addition to the Rathi household. The family is also keeping its fingers crossed for Happy, the youngest of the three brothers who is preparing for his police exams.
Sunny is happy both his siblings are on the “right track”.
Sunny was, however, worried when Digvesh was fined during the IPL for the send-off he gives to batsmen — using his palm as a notebook, he scribbles a signature every time he gets a wicket. “I did ask Digvesh about it. He told me it motivates him. I said, ‘okay, if that helps you play better, fine, but don’t disrespect any player’. He’s not doing it to attract attention. He was not even on social media till recently… wouldn’t even update his WhatsApp status. He would say, ‘what is the point of status update, when you don’t have status’?”
This IPL season, Digvesh had earned himself a status update.
