Keep calm and carry on - the Devendra Bundela way

Indian cricket is full of nearly men. Think about it and Amol Muzumdar's name shoots to prominence. Dig a bit more and players like Shantanu Sugwekar, who has the seventh-highest average in first-class cricket in world cricket but never played for India, come to mind. And then there's Devendra Bundela - the Madhya Pradesh veteran - as well.

The MP captain is set to create a new record when he takes the field against Baroda on Tuesday (November 29). He'll become the most capped Ranji player, surpassing Muzumdar who played 136 games. With 8755 runs, he's the third-highest run-getter in the tournament's history behind Wasim Jaffer and Muzumdar. Just a glance at this records show how he has been one of the pillars that helped MP evolve as a team.

However, what cannot be quantified is his contribution as a leader, mentor and a friend to the several players, youngsters or coaches he has worked or played with. "He's a really cool captain you know," Naman Ojha, Bundela's teammate, tells Cricbuzz. "Just the vibe around him makes everyone comfortable.

"One thing that stands out about him is his man management skill. He's considerate. In the last 5-6 years, we've ensured that we play in the Elite league. A lot of credit should go to him, he's instilled a belief that we can beat big teams, take first innings lead against them and compete with them. It's very enjoyable playing with him."

Bundela's journey as a Ranji Trophy cricketer started in 1996 in the quarter-final against Tamil Nadu in Indore. However, his cricketing journey started in 1989 from Ujjain. While his exploits in club cricket didn't go unnoticed, in order to make a career in cricket, he was forced to move away from home - to Indore.

While he was on the right path, Bundela, in one of the numerous chats we've had, admitted it was the toughest phase of his life. "I was out of my comfort zone and it wasn't easy. It was my decision to move away, so I had to live through it," he had said.

Remind him of his early days and he goes on to reveal that it was the decision that changed his life. "My parents never stopped me at that time when it was tough to take up cricket as a career in 1989," he says. "People never really looked at this as a career option but they backed my instincts and let me go. All I had to tell them was 'I'm confident of doing well' and they agreed. Now that I look back, that's the biggest turning point and why I'm here."

Things never came easy for Bundela. While he kept scoring, he found it difficult to break into the MP senior team. It was a tour to Australia with the Under-19 team that made the selectors sit up take notice. Most parts of his career were overlapped by the presence of Indian legends - the Fab 4 - fabricating the proud legacy of Indian cricket.

When he was handed over the captaincy in 2010, the team was in Plate group. Bundela, 34 then, took up the challenge and lead the team from the front. He scored at an average of 93.66 to lift the team to the Elite group. However, in his third year as captain, he lost his senior members TP Sudhindra and Mohnish Mishra, after the duo was involved and then banned for spot-fixing.

That's when Bundela's leadership skills, something Ojha kept talking about during our chat, stood out. "Ab kya kare, jo ho gaya woh ho gaya (What can we do, whatever happened, happened)," he reflects. "We built again and started focusing ahead."

From picking up the team during the tough times to making them most competitive sides in domestic circuit, Bundela has set a fine example. However, ask him about what his greatest achievement has been and he comes up with a surprising answer.

"Over the years, I've made a lot of good friends," he says. "Cricket has given me a lot of respect. Even the players who are playing for India, if they meet me, there's a certain respect that you can see. Now that's big.

"Cricketers make a lot of sacrifices and I respect that. The big players too see that. It feels good, you can head back to the hotel after a hard day's play and feel satisfied. After that you meet players from the other teams and there's no animosity as such so I feel really proud that I've been able to earn that reputation."

Bundela isn't someone who is too keen on talking about his achievements. Team first, his teammates ahead of him always, team's progress high on his agenda and everything else comes later. Ask him about his favorite innings in Ranji Trophy and he'll hesitantly say the 188 he scored against Railways in the last game before adding his century at the Wankhede in Mumbai in 2004.

"Last year's journey was incredibly satisfying. I can say that it was my most cherished moment," he says when you ask him what he'll look back fondly on once he retires. "I can say that it was my most cherished moment. We played in the semifinal and had done well as a team. It was good to see a team full of youngsters do so well at this level. It's not easy for them, but they stood up and did well. We have been doing well, we have been surviving now. It feels good to see that other teams consider us a threat and not a side that can be brushed aside."

Ask him how satisfying his journey in the Indian domestic setup has been, and he says, in his typically understated manner, "Acha raha hai! Thik hai! (It's been good. It's been okay)." It's not hard to understand why he's loved so much by many. That he has MP cricket's best interests close to his heart is pretty evident and his records are mere numbers for him. The bonds, the friendships, the relationships he has built over the years are what he cherishes the most.