IPL auction 2022 | Game for a game, anytime, anywhere - the Tim David mantra

The Mumbai Indians acquired Tim David for Rs 8.25 crore at 2022 IPL auction. (Image via Twitter.com/mipaltan)

Travelling in a fried-out Kombi

On a hippie trail, head full of zombie

Tim David surely has better transportation modes than a raggedy Volkswagen minibus.

And no, being a professional cricketer, his head is not likely to be full of zombie, or dangerous intoxicants.

But in terms of his globe-hopping career, the Singapore-born Australian personifies adventurous travel, a background theme in the quintessential Aussie song quoted above - ‘Down Under’ by the rock band Men at Work.

He also personifies a willingness to travel wherever there is work. Big opportunities come your way when you do that.

Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Pakistan, Holland, England, West Indies and the UAE are some of the nations the 25-year-old has played in over the last two years, representing either his national team (Singapore) or myriad franchises. And now David has made it to the Indian Premier League (IPL) once again.

At the league’s player auction in Bengaluru earlier this month, the Mumbai Indians reeled in the 6-foot-5 big-hitter for Rs 8.25 crore. He is expected to play a more substantial role in this year’s tournament compared to his blink and miss appearance for the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year.

Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani said, “He (Tim) is going to partner with (Kieron) Pollard at No. 6. We’ve always betted on our power hitters in the bottom of the order for success at Mumbai Indians, and Tim was one of the players that we have been tracking. We look forward to him and Pollard finishing the innings for us.”

Another insight on David came from Adam Griffith, former coach of David’s Big Bash League (BBL) side, Hobart Hurricanes.

"He's a laidback guy, no fuss, and when he's on, he hits the ball as hard as anyone in Australian cricket,” Griffith told cricket.com.au. “What I like as well is he can hit the ball to different parts of the ground – he doesn’t just slog it over midwicket.”

David was born in Singapore. His father, Rod, played for the country in the 1997 ICC Trophy. The family then moved back to their homeland.

David started proper cricket training in Australia. As the boy became a man, he made an impression in the Big Bash League (BBL), especially with his 150-plus strike rate. But when a national call-up eluded him and he was free of BBL duties, he packed his suitcase and got into his metaphorical Kombi van. Singapore became his national team. And he signed with other franchises whenever possible.

On the road, David learned different tricks. For example, he said that playing for Singapore made him better at playing spin, due to the nature of Asian wickets and the number of spinners around.  And while the pandemic caused tournaments to be cancelled, it also resulted in some being held in a rush, leading to opportunities for players.

When the chances came, David was there to grab them with both hands and several visas.

During the 2021 Caribbean Premier League, where he turned up for St Lucia, David told Hindustan Times, “I think Covid this year has opened up a few opportunities with a lot of tournaments clashing, so there’s been an opportunity for me to play a role when other people have been unavailable. From the PSL (Pakistan Super League) I went to the Netherlands where I signed up with a club side, because it was looking likely there was an opportunity here with St Lucia, but it wasn’t all finalised yet.”

David could have gone back to Australia after the PSL, but that would have meant two weeks of quarantine, and potentially a long flight back to the Caribbean. That is why he took up the Dutch gig.

Now here’s how opportunities operate. When David was in Holland, a spot opened up at Surrey in England . And when he was at Surrey, another spot opened up to play in the high profile ‘The Hundred’ competition.

David wouldn’t have been at the right place at the right time had he not taken up an ostensibly small assignment in Holland.

“It’s been a long time on the road,” David said in the interview. “I’ve been away from home for a while, but I’m really grateful for the opportunities. Last year (2020) I sat home for the whole year doing nothing, so I’m ready to go.”

That’d be music, or Down Under, to Mumbai’s ears.