Vihaan proves his mettle in English conditions

From the royal city of Patiala, which has produced a number of international cricket stars, another youngster is hogging the limelight with his brilliant performances. Patiala-born Vihaan Malhotra was the highest run-scorer in the India U-19 tour of England that concluded recently. Malhotra compiled 520 runs as India U-19 defeated England U-19 3-2 in the five-match Youth ODI series, while both the Youth Tests were drawn.

The 18-year-old southpaw, who has been consistently scoring runs for Punjab in the domestic circuit, has set his sights on the IPL and the senior India team following his performance in England. “I want to be among the best in India and be part of the Indian team. It will take sheer hard work, but I am willing to put all my energy and efforts into it,” said Malhotra, who attributes his success to his coaches Kamal Sandhu and HS Arora.

Malhotra started playing at the age of six. “My parents are both government officers. Once I was sure about playing cricket, they supported my decision,” said Malhotra, whose mother is a senior government doctor and father an engineer with the Punjab soil conservation department.

During the England tour, Malhotra scored 277 runs in the Youth Tests and 243 in the Youth ODIs. He scored two centuries — 129 in 121 balls in the fourth YODI and 120 in 123 balls in the second Youth Test. A technically sound batsman, Malhotra is also a handy right-arm off-spinner, bowling quick tight spells.

“His performance during the India-England U-19 series has once again proved that he is the future of Indian cricket. He is a promising cricketer and another emerging star from Punjab. His mental strength in pressure situations and technically sound batting is something that is rare to find,” said former Punjab Ranji coach Sunil Saggi. “Those who have seen Yuvraj Singh play during his initial days will connect with the batting style of Vihaan who is a hard-hitting batsman and a lefty. If he keeps working hard he would surely be part of the Indian team soon,” added Saggi.