Aryan Bhatia gets National Cricket Academy camp call

Deepankar Sharda

Mohali, March 7

Local cricketer Aryan Bhatia (18) has got a call from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for attending a one-month conditioning camp. Bhatia is the only cricketer from Mohali district and among six others from Punjab to get this call.

The right-arm all-rounder had a successful run for Punjab in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy scoring two half centuries in three matches. In the Cooch Behar Trophy, he scored one century, which helped him get the NCA call.

The camp will be held at the NCA Zonal academy in Kanpur.

Bhatia, who plays for Mohali and represents the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), will appear for clearing the fitness test on March 9. “I must thank all my coaches and my parents. This is a great breakthrough in my career, which will help me improve my batting and bowling skills,” said Bhatia.

Last year, Bhatia captained the Mohali team in the Punjab Inter District U-19 Tournament. Playing a captain’s innings, Bhatia scored three half centuries, one each in quarterfinal, semifinal and final, to help the side win the title.

The NCA is a facility of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) set up for the purpose of spotting young talents. After being formally inaugurated at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, the BCCI set up five NCA zonal academies in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Kanpur that operate in sync with the parent body.