With his pencil-thin physique, barely-sprouting moustache and an outsized floppy hat, Hardik Raj could look barely misplaced on a Ranji trophy cricket subject.
Barely 17 years of age, the all-rounder was referred to as up by Karnataka forward of its encounter towards Tripura after his stupendous performances in age group tournaments this season.
In the just lately concluded Cooch Behar U-19 event, the left-arm spinner scalped 28 wickets in eight matches at a mean of 20.42. He aggregated 299 runs with the bat as nicely, at a mean of 49.83.
Hardik saved his greatest for essentially the most essential encounters, scoring 100 towards Tamil Nadu within the semifinal and selecting up a four-fer and a fifty towards Mumbai within the closing to assist Karnataka to the title.
“The main striking feature is his attitude. I first saw him in a practice game against Mumbai in Bengaluru last year,” mentioned PV Shashikanth, Head Coach of the Karnataka staff.
“He was ready to take up the responsibility. He was ready to take the bowlers head-on. He was ready to bowl to the best of the best batsmen. That was the first impression he created,” the coach added.
Two video games into his First Class profession, Hardik, who represents the Gulbarga Mystics within the Maharaja Trophy T20 event, has demonstrated his immense potential which pressured the administration to fast-track him into the primary staff.
“We sent him out against Tripura to blunt the attack, when they were bowling outswingers to the right-handers. He negotiated that. At this age, that speaks volumes. Other youngsters would have been overawed by that,” mentioned Shashikanth about his efficiency on debut.
“Playing alongside Mayank [Agarwal], Manish Pandey, [Ravikumar] Samarth and Devdutt [Padikkal], he can add to his knowledge bank and widen his horizon,” he added.
In the next match towards the Railways, Hardik adopted the staff’s plan to perfection, attacking the stumps with a leg slip and short-leg in place, selecting up three wickets within the first innings.
“We had a game plan in place. We asked him to keep it tight and I think invariably he delivered. In the second innings also he bowled better compared to what the fourth [wickets] column suggests,” Shashikanth mentioned.
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Starting as a batter in his early years, Hardik who adores Ravindra Jadeja, determined to show to spin after alternatives on the U-10 and U-12 ranges started to decrease.
Now, he has developed right into a bowling all-rounder able to taking part in a useful knock with the bat. “I am working on my batting for the last two years. I feel going ahead I have to work on my batting more,” he mentioned, signalling his intentions to be a real middle-order batter.
Describing his feeling on stepping as much as the large league, Hardik mentioned: “Obviously on day one, I had butterflies. I had to be more consistent with my lines and be patient.”
In an age the place the significance of 50-over cricket is dwindling, the 17-year-old suggests he’s greatest suited to that format. “I think T20s are too fast and four-day games are too long. 50-over games are good to settle as a bowler and [I] get enough overs to bowl,” he mentioned.
Coach Shashikanth reckons Hardik should proceed to play junior cricket each time the chance arises. “I don’t think there is any harm in more matches. More matches means more wickets and more runs under his belt, which will do a world of good for his confidence,” he mentioned.
“He’s got some more years of U-19 and I won’t be surprised if he makes the Indian U-19 team,” he added.
Source web site: sportstar.thehindu.com
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