An unexpected call, and playing alongside Tendulkar

In this new Cricbuzz series - The IPL Benchwarmers - we talk to players who made it to the IPL alright, but didn't go very far, and were out of opportunities - and reckoning - sooner than they'd have liked.

Perhaps you can picture the scene. An aging, flat-footed Zimbabwean spinner is taking his annual holidays with the family in Durban, a favourite beach destination for those living in the small landlocked country. After a morning playing in the sand with the kids, a shopping trip is called for. As he browses the isles of the supermarket, marveling at how cheap everything is in comparison to the shops back home - where everything carries a heavy import duty - his brother hands him a mobile phone. "It's Shaun Pollock," he says.

A South African accent comes on the line. It says that the Mumbai Indians have lost the services of Moises Henriques, and want the spinner to join them for the remainder of the Indian Premier League. He needs to "get his butt over there". The spinner frowns. He has entered three IPL auctions before, never paying great attention to them because the chances of a Zimbabwean spinner being picked up are so remote when India is full of such tradesmen. IPL auction days were generally spent fishing, not following a live feed of the auction, and they never finished with an unexpected contract. So the only conclusion to draw is that this phone call is a prank.

"I thought it was one of my mates stuffing around," says Ray Price, and if you know Price's sense of humour, you would suspect he keeps company with the sort of fellows who might do such a thing. "Then I realised it really was Polly, and he was saying I needed to get my butt over to Mumbai. So we had to cut our holiday short, which the family were not that chuffed about."

Looking back on his career, it is clear that 2011 was the only time that an IPL gig would have come Price's way. He was 34, and at the peak of what he himself admits were limited powers to start with. It had been 12 years since his Test debut, but three of those were spent at Worcestershire at the time when cricket in Zimbabwe sank to its lowest ebb. The experiences were sufficient for Price to take what talent he had, apply himself rigorously, and use his craft and guile to slowly climb the ranks of spinners. The left-armer was second on the ICC's ODI rankings list when Pollock's call came in, and a fruitful World Cup on the subcontinent - where his economy rate of 3.44 was bettered only by Ajantha Mendis among those who bowled more than 10 overs - had made his abilities as visible as ever.

"I was over the moon as you can imagine, especially to be picked by a team like Mumbai with players like Sachin and Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds," Price recalls. "Just to be around them was so much fun, people I had played against but never really spent much time with. I really enjoyed the net sessions and seeing how they trained, and what they did in their day-to-day practice.

"We had a few South Africans in the team as well as Andrew Symonds, and guys who I had played against, so it was quite easy to slip into the changing room. Obviously a little bit intimidating with Sachin leading the whole thing, but he's a really easy-going guy. I didn't chat too much; I just enjoyed being around them."

It was late April by the time that Price joined up with Mumbai, and the IPL was in full swing. The Indians had won five of their first six games, so they were not exactly dying for fresh input. In Symonds, Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga, they had three overseas players that were nailed on for every game. The fourth overseas spot was being shared between Aiden Bilzzard and Davy Jacobs, as Tendulkar searched for a suitable partner to open the batting with him. Needless to say, Price spent his first month in India carrying drinks.

But on May 22, his opportunity came. Neither Blizzard nor Jacobs had cut it, and so Tirumalasetti Suman was shifted up to open the batting with Tendulkar. That created an overseas place in the playing XI, and with Symonds taking a break, Price and James Franklin came in for a match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. "That ground was packed, man. It was awesome," says Price. "The situation was huge. I'd played a few international games there so it was great to be back on the ground again, but they played me well."

After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Tendulkar threw the ball to Price as early as the fifth over. It didn't go particularly well. His second delivery was angled in towards the right-handed Manoj Tiwary, and although the batsman's connection was not great, it was enough to beat short fine leg and race away for four. Three balls later, Tiwary gave Price the charge. This time a proper connection saw the ball sail over long-on for six. The over cost 14 runs.

Tendulkar persisted, and Price's next over went for just six, as Jacques Kallis paid the spinner some respect. But when Price returned for the 10th over, he was up against Yusuf Pathan. A slog sweep saw the fourth delivery disappear miles back into the stands at square leg, and then Kallis got stuck in, driving the final delivery over extra cover for four. Another 13 runs meant Price had gone for 33 in three overs. He didn't bowl again.

"I was obviously a bit disappointed that I couldn't bowl as well as I could have," he reflects. "When you've only got 18 balls you don't have long to settle in and get going. Anyone who says they don't get nervous is lying, but that's part of the whole thing - dealing with those nerves and being able to enjoy the whole thing, without worrying too much about the outcome. I don't think I would do too much differently if I had my time again. Maybe I didn't read the batters as well as I could, but jeepers, Twenty20 is a bit hit and miss. You've only got four overs so it's not like a Test match where you've got time to work someone out."

Kolkata posted 175 for seven, which looked a winning total when Mumbai needed 66 runs from their last five overs - and especially when 21 were required from the last six deliveries. But then Franklin struck four fours in a row off Lakshmipathy Balaji, before Ambati Rayudu hammered the final ball for six.

"It was a relief that we won the game because I got tonked a bit," says Price. "But then I went and chatted to Shakib Al Hasan after the game and we both had a giggle. We'd often been quite competitive in the past, so it was nice just to sit with him for a little bit and see how he found the day and the noise."

The victory gave Mumbai nine wins from 14 games. They qualified for the Eliminator, in which they beat Kolkata again - this time in Mumbai. Their campaign ended when they lost to Bangalore in the second qualifying final. Price played no part in those games, and those three overs would be his only participation in the tournament.

"I was dying for another game to show what I could do, but in life you don't always get those second chances. Also at that point I was getting on a bit in age and wasn't that mobile around the field, so I'm not surprised that I didn't get another shot after that. But what a pleasure it was to just be there and learn so much, even if I was just being a waiter for most of the time."

It's a memory that Price shares as he sits in lockdown in Harare with his family. Not that he has otherwise been idle, what with three kids at home and a range of businesses to run post retirement. The sports shop has been an ever-present since he called time on his Zimbabwe career in 2013, and he now does some coaching in his backyard, where he has a net under some trees. Of course those endeavours are mostly to support his biggest habit.

"My main passion is still fishing. I now manufacture spinners for the local market and do a little bit of export as well. It's special to make a lure and catch fish on them, and even better is to make a lure and watch your kids catch fish on them. Zimbabwe is a tough place to live - you need to be able to do a few things to be able to get by. Luckily my wife is a teacher, which helps with the school fees."

Building an income around passion has always been Price's modus operandi, and he feels fortunate to have played cricket at the level he did and make a career of it. But he's also honest about where his brief IPL stint fits on his list of career highs. "When you look back on the highlights of your career and the big matches you played, it's hard to beat playing for your country. The IPL is brilliant and it's fantastic to play in front of such big crowds, but it's hard to beat your Test debut, or your first five-for. I think playing for your country is still the best for me, especially when it is playing at home or playing Test cricket.

"I think the thrill of getting some of your favourite players out is tough to match. Like for me when I got Sachin out twice in the same Test match; Steve Waugh, Brian Lara, those guys that you just love to play against and when they're at the top of their game they are so hard to beat."

Also read: What could possibly connect Tendulkar, Kohli and... Tyron Henderson?