The Indian colts are now gearing up for the 2020 U19 World Cup. And considering the rich history that our sides in the past have been associated with this competition, it is only valid that the captain would attract all the attention upon the announcement of the squad.
Priyam Garg is one such individual. After all, he is the captain!
The elegant right-handed batsman from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh would be on a quest to emulate his predecessors who brought home glory whilst representing the junior side on the international stage. Now, Meerut isn’t just another city with respect to Indian cricket.
Playing hostage to SS Ton Cricket Manufacturers, peculiarly this city has had the tendency to churn out fast bowlers for the national team.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar are the ones who pop up in our minds at the very first thought. And hence the mere thought that a ‘batsman’ hails from the place is quite alien.
Yet, Garg, who has had a stellar start to his relatively short career in the public eye, is someone who prefers to make the willow do the talking and not the leather.
It wasn’t always the case though. An ESPN Cricinfo article states that the lad wanted to be a pacer initially in his career too.
Fortune takes uncanny turns though, and his natural flair and talent as a batsman didn’t go unnoticed in front of his coach Sanjay Rastogi.
He made improvements by leaps and bounds, eventually paving his way to the Uttar Pradesh at the age of 18 last year.
Having watched matches at a paan stall merely four-five years ago, now he was rubbing the shoulders with Suresh Raina and ilk in the premier domestic cricket competition in this country.
You would expect a novice at this stage to struggle being fast-tracked to the Ranji Trophy at that age. But, that wasn’t necessarily the case with Garg.
It is really difficult to judge or assess talent for a player of his age. For someone who hasn’t even crossed the phase of puberty, Priyam stood up amongst the crowd and made a name for him through some sublime performances in the first-class circuit.
In 12 first-class matches, he amassed 867 at an average of 66.69 including five half-centuries and two centuries. He now averages 47.13 with four half-centuries and two centuries from 18 List A innings, scoring at a run rate of 90.87.
Surely, numbers do not present a very clear view of any picture. However, for a lad of his age to plunder such stats and walk his way to the senior team and now lead the colts in the upcoming World Cup; the sheer caliber and potential of this player deserve special attention.
Nowadays, U19 cricket had caught the attention of the masses and hence it presents forward a double-edged sword.
If the players are able to absorb the pressure imposed on them by the people, they manage to attract bidders in the IPL as well. And thus find themselves amidst another big stage with the selectors keeping a close eye on their performances.
On the other hand, some players do tend to go overboard or even succumb to the massive reception by the fans. And hence are unable to find that required stability in their outward approach towards the game thereafter.
Priyam hasn’t really been covered that extensively by the media yet for us to sort of comprehend the sort of character that he possesses; the skin that he encapsulates on his course to soon become a much-talked-about public personality.
Because, for every Virat Kohli that the age-group World Cups in the past have presented, there is an Unmukt Chand who fell apart in the quest towards success and stardom too.
It would be a bit too far-fetched to bracket 19-year old Garg in any of these categories as of now. But, the challenges that are lying in front of him aren’t unknown currently.
Prithvi Shaw lost his way after a fantastic Test debut. And though he is striving hard to make a comeback now, the months lost in suspension could continue to trouble him for the coming few years.
Mind you, Shaw is one of the most prominent starlets to have emerged out of this circuit in India. If he can lose his way, the path, then Priyam needs to be quite careful.
The times that we live in are immensely attractive, yet daunting to an extent. Only the choices that one makes at a nascent stage determine the magnitude of how successful a professional player turns out to be eventually. That remains to be seen for Priyam Garg.
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