Papa’s boy

Lucknow, December 3

Priyam Garg, who will lead the Indian cricket team at next year’s U-19 World Cup, is happy with what he has achieved, but he cannot let go of one regret — his mother won’t be able to see him leading India.

Garg’s mother passed away when he was only 11, and though he has realised her ambition for him, he is sad she is not around to witness it. “My mother died in 2011 and it was her dream that I play cricket for India,” he said. “And now that I’m the captain of the Under-19 team, she is not here to see it. I regret that the most.”

Garg turned 19 on November 30 and was named the Indian captain two days later for the tournament that will be played in South Africa from January 17 to February 9.

Garg says his journey from a small child without means to buy the cricket gear to becoming the national team captain for the U-19 World Cup would not have been possible without the sacrifices of his father, who drives a school van.

Tough times

Hailing from village Quila Parikshitgarh, about 25km from Meerut, Garg picked up bat and ball at the tender age of six. “My father Naresh Garg drives a school van. I have one elder brother and three sisters, and I am the youngest in the family. My father didn’t have enough money to take care of such a big family and support my cricket career,” Garg said. “But seeing my love and dedication for the sport, he borrowed money from his friend and bought me a cricket kit and arranged for my coaching,” Garg added. “I started playing cricket and due to my father’s hard work, today I’m captain of the U-19 team.”

“I used to practise for seven-eight hours a day while continuing my studies. Sanjay Rastogi, my coach in Meerut, used to help me and because of that and my father’s efforts I was selected in the Ranji team in 2018,” Priyam said.

A right-handed top-order batsman, Garg scored 800-plus runs in his debut Ranji Trophy season for Uttar Pradesh, having scored a century in his debut game against Goa. He has a First-Class double hundred and a List A century to his credit. He was a part of the India C team that finished runner-up in the Deodhar Trophy.

Garg idolises Sachin Tendulkar and aspires to learn the finer points of batsmanship from him. “My dream is to meet Sachin Tendulkar and take tips from him and wear the blue colours of team India one day,” Garg said.

UP boys

Two other UP lads — vice-captain Dhruv Chand Jurel and Kartik Tyagi — have been named in the U-19 squad. UP Cricket Association director Yudhveer Singh said he hopes all three would do well for the national team. “UP cricket has provided Indian cricket with top players like Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep is still in the (senior) team. We hope that in the coming years Priyam, Dhruv and Kartik will shine in the senior Indian team as well,” he said.

Hoping for fame

India have won the title four times, including the last edition in 2018. The captains of the four winning teams — Mohammad Kaif (2000), Virat Kohli (2008), Unmukt Chand (2012) and Prithvi Shaw (2018) — became well-known figures after winning the U-16 World Cup. Garg would hope for the same. — PTI