Teenage Indian left-arm spinner Saumy Kumar Pandey, one of many main wicket-takers within the ongoing U19 World Cup in South Africa, possesses a hanging similarity to Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling motion.
The reason being easy: the veteran India allrounder is Pandey’s inspiration.
Hailing from Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, Pandey was fascinated by Jadeja’s physique language and intent on the sector and tried each single day to emulate his icon.
The cricketer has proven great potential for the long run with 16 wickets in 5 video games to this point, with a better of 4/19.
“Jadeja has been his inspiration. He has been fascinated by Jadeja’s physique language and fielding intent,” Pandey’s childhood coach Aril Anthony advised PTI on Tuesday.
In response to Anthony, Pandey can be an excellent pupil, who handed his larger secondary topics with flying colors.
So, what made him foray into cricket? “Initially, when he began enjoying cricket at age 7 or 8, he was bodily very weak. He was suggested by medical doctors to do some bodily exercise to spice up his immunity,” added Anthony.
“His father advised me that he had an enormous curiosity in cricket since childhood and was in a position to maintain the bat on the age of three or 4.
“He was a pointy child. Even in teachers, he scored round 93 per cent in Greater Secondary. His mother and father needed him to be an engineer or a physician however had been left spellbound after seeing him bowl underneath my steerage (chuckles).
“He has a knack of greedy issues rapidly and implements them effectively, which is what you might be presently witnessing on the World Cup,” mentioned his coach.
Each his mother and father are authorities lecturers, which might be the rationale he has excelled in teachers and in addition rapidly honed the intricacies of spin bowling.
Anthony mentioned that when Pandey, the best wicket-taker for India within the U19 World Cup to this point, got here to him, {the teenager}’s want was to develop into an all-rounder like Jadeja.
“He needed to develop into an all-rounder and was very a lot fascinated by batting as effectively. Nevertheless, the talent that impressed me probably the most was his bowling, and I suggested him to deal with his bowling. He began as a spinner; he was by no means into quick bowling,” added Anthony.
Anthony mentioned that moreover bagging 135 wickets within the final three years on the junior degree, Pandey additionally completed because the second-highest wicket-taker in district-level U16 and U19 tournaments.
He has additionally fared effectively within the 2022-23 Cooch Behar Trophy, the place he emerged because the second-highest wicket-taker for Madhya Pradesh, scalping 23 wickets in 9 innings at a mean of 15.17.
Pandey’s good run of type may entice him in direction of the Indian Premier League however Anthony has cautioned the teenager to not get carried away.
“At present, he’s centered on white-ball cricket, and I’ve suggested him to focus solely on one-day cricket for now. He has shared his dream of enjoying within the IPL, however I’ve advised him not to consider it now.
“Suppose he will get picked by an IPL staff now and is hammered for sixes aplenty, it may have an effect on his confidence. So, he ought to progress step-by-step, beginning with India U19, adopted by the Ranji Trophy, after which serious about Workforce India and the IPL.
“He has began getting IPL-related calls. It’s going to depend upon how he fares within the subsequent home season. If he fares effectively and confidently tells me about going to the IPL, I’ll give him the go-ahead. However I can’t predict if there will likely be a bidding struggle for him, which can depend upon his home efficiency,” he mentioned.
Anthony feels Pandey has executed a great job as vice-captain of the U19 World Cup staff. The coach felt that the important thing to turning into a profitable chief is attending to know the teammates effectively and “opening as much as them”.
“I advised him that in staff conferences, he has to speak to each participant and get to know extra about them. Some gamers don’t take part in staff conferences, and he has to cope with them first. Within the World Cup, whereas he has displayed aggression, he likes to work with the staff.” Anthony cautioned his ward that with a purpose to make a spot within the senior India facet, he wouldn’t simply face competitors from dwelling state gamers however from cricketers throughout the nation.
“There are a variety of gamers in competition for Workforce India berths, and never all are fortunate sufficient. Whereas he (Pandey) would wish to work arduous, typically luck is also an element.
“India presently has three senior groups, and all of the gamers in it have made an influence. So, he wouldn’t solely get competitors from his state gamers however cricketers from throughout India,” he added.