EXCLUSIVE | Meet Dinesh Patel: A rare breed of Indian sportsman and a top gun in baseball

There aren't many in the world of sports who have switched from one game to another. However, there are still some big names who have done the unthinkable by playing two sports professionally. Michael Jordan (Basketball to baseball), Sonny Bill Williams (Rugby to boxing), Andrew Flintoff (from cricket to boxing) and many others make the cut. However, can you think of one such name in Indian sports?

Well, Dinesh Patel is one such gutsy sportsman to have switched from being a javelin thrower to turning into a baseball player. The 32-year-old is a rarity in Indian sports in every sense. Being a javelin thrower, he delved into uncharted territory and took up baseball, a sport of which not many Indians can boost of or enjoy the bragging rights.

Taking up the sport to improve his financial situation, Dinesh has come a long way and remains the torch-bearer of baseball in India.He competed in the Indian reality show "Million Dollar Arm" in 2008, having never picked up a baseball before, and emerged on top of over 37,000 competitors in the above-mentioned reality show; designed to find new baseball talents. In addition, Dinesh reached 90 mph during a tryout, intriguing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who acquired the services of Rinku Singh and him. They are, thus, the first players from India to sign deals in Organized Baseball.

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Note: Rinku Singh is thefirst Indian to play baseball and now is a professional wrestler.

In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Aditya Sahay, Dinesh recalled his topsy-turvy journey, dived into the scope of baseball in the country and spoke about Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's influence on him. Excerpts:

You are a rarity in all sense. A baseball player from India, having competed in Indian reality show "Million Dollar Arm" after never having picked up a baseball before, how has the journey unfolded? Define your love for the sport.

Actually, I was a javelin thrower when I got to know about the contest, i.e. Million Dollar Arm. We participated only for the money, to be honest, and then Rinku (Singh) and I took part in it and, thus, I came into baseball. We were in the United States for three years where we played and learned about the game.

I know it is tough to switch from one sport to another but I went with my instincts. Back then, I had played nationals in javelin. Had I represented in the Olympics, it might have helped me financially but that didn't happen. So I decided to switch from javelin to baseball. The contest, thus, came as a blessing in disguise.

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When I participated in the Million Dollar Arm, we just wanted to give our best to improve our financial health and also because we had no other way to go. Leaving javelin,it became a do-or-die scenario (pauses).

Rinkuand you are first players from India to sign deals in Organised Baseball.What do you opine about the future of this game in India?

Baseball isn't a talked-about game in the country. Even we didn't know about it before taking it up as a professional. However, I've seen changes taking place in many parts (in India). People have started playing baseball in Bengaluru, Delhi and even in Madhya Pradesh. Nonetheless, any new game takes time to spread like wildfire across the country. This popularity can be achieved through MLB. I can feel that it will sow the seeds for baseball's popularity. Much like how IPL has done wonders and helped cricket flourish even further since 2008.

Note:Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization. In addition, it is the oldest major professional sports league in the world.

What does Dinesh Patel want to achieve after his end of career in baseball? Any set target or will you be content in widening the reach of the sport among the countrymen?

In Asia, MLB has an office in China. Similarly, MLB has also opened (an office) in India. It will help the game grow and spread out in various parts. This is just a start but surely a promising one. In our nation, baseball is obviously far from being developed. Whatever MLB is doing, the good players will be identified and they can hone their skills by going to the US and train extensively. Or, if the game widens in India itself, they can work on their game here and even help it spread further. I'll be glad if we reach this level.

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India is a country filled with several stars in the field of sports. From Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Sania Mirza, Kapil Dev, Leander Paes, Virat Kohli, Sunil Chhetri, PV Sindhu and many others, do you follow anyone in particular? Who among these has helped you and your game in any way?

I follow Sachin Tendulkar. Not even was he a legendary cricketer, but he's a very good person off the field as well. One thing I've tried to imbibe from the Master Blaster is his calmness and always being focused towards the job in hand. I believe I'm very similar in that aspect.

Sports is a way of life. However, it is very tough. It imparts various life-lessons to individuals, gives them a sense of security on succeeding and can also be very harsh during failures. A word for the rising talents in the country?

I would want to say that youngsters should play only the sport they love. Play it with all your heart. Set a high target for yourself. Above all, you need to be a good person and only then you will succeed as a player. Because ultimately your personality reflects on your game. It is not necessary to think about what happens to you, in terms of failures, but the aim should be to not lose hope and learn from their failures or mistakes. There's no end to learning. Never! (smiles)