NEW DELHI: “Catch them young.” That was the mantra of Delhi cricket for many years. From Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir to Virat Kohli, all were introduced to the
Delhi Ranji Trophy team
at a very early age and went on to play for India with distinction.
In between, there was a lull with Delhi not even making it to the
Ranji Trophy knockout stages. Now, the selection of a young talent like Anuj Rawat, the wicket-keeper batsman from Dwarka, in the India Under-19 team for Asia Cup on Monday, has given hope to Delhi cricket. Rawat has already made his Ranji Trophy debut against Assam in the last leg game of the competition and is looking to prove his worth in Malaysia now.
“I didn't even know that I had been picked to represent India U-19 as I was busy playing Ranji Trophy. I have no words to express my happiness. I hope to do well for the country,” Rawat told TOI while admitting that MS Dhoni isn't his role model.
Instead, he looks up to Australia's Adam Gilchrist and David Warner and also admires South Africa's Quinton de Kock because they are all left-handers like him. He has learnt the finer points of the game from Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli's childhood coach.
Like Rawat, another Delhiite, Manjot Kalra, who has made his mark in junior cricket as a left-handed opener, has made the India U-19 team. He had earlier toured England with the U-19 team and was the second highest run-scorer in the Coach Behar Trophy last year (742 runs from eight games).
“Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are my favourite batsmen for sure,” he said.
Buoyed by the four centuries he cracked for India U-19 in England, Manjot's immediate aim is win the Asia Cup. But he considers the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand as his long-term goal. “I would like to keep performing to make my Ranji debut at the earliest,” Manjot, who trains under Gambhir's childhood coach Sanjay Bharadwaj, said.
India U-19 squad for Asia Cup:Himanshu Rana (captain), Abhishek Sharma (vice-captain), Atharva Taide, Manjot Kalra, Salman Khan, Anuj Rawat, Harvik Desai, Riyan Parag, Anukul Roy, Shiva Singh, Tanush Kotian, Darshan Nalkande, Vivekanand Tiwary, Aditya Thakare, Mandeep Singh
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