India T20I:<\/b> With the second ball Uddish Suri bowled in last year\u2019s Under-19 Asia Cup game against India at the ICC Academy in Dubai, the UAE left-arm wrist-spinner felt he got out teenaged batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi but was reduced to seeing the left-hander being dropped off his bowling.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
What followed was carnage - Sooryavanshi tore into the UAE attack for 171 off 95 balls, laced with 14 sixes, as India piled up 433\/6. Six bowlers felt the full force of it. Suri, somehow, did not come under attack. He bowled 23 balls to Sooryavanshi and gave away exactly 23 runs - one four and one six among them. In his penultimate over, he even castled the dangerous Sooryavanshi, who\u2019s now in the senior India T20I setup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Suri finished with 2-77 from his ten overs, but containing that version of Sooryavanshi, which is something far more experienced bowlers have failed to do, is still talked about in the cricketing circles. For Suri, it was no accident, as that had been in the making for a long time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBefore the tournament had started like about a month and a half before, I had always been planning ahead. I believe in manifestation a lot. So, I think I had manifested that I would be the one getting this wicket. I think from one or two months, I was working with our coaches like Naveed sir, Zahoor sir, Nael sir, Manpreet sir, our analyst at that time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think I was just going through his videos as well and like to see where his strong areas were, where I could maybe bowl to him to not get hit, try to get saved and try to take his wicket. I think that had helped me a lot, especially a day or two before I was sitting with our head coach Naveed sir.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was discussing with him how I can bowl to him and how I can make him struggle to actually score against me. I think it worked at the end of the day and I was really happy to get his wicket, obviously. It was a great feeling at the end of the day,\u201d Uddish recalled in an exclusive interaction with IANS, facilitated by Sony Sports Network, ahead of this year\u2019s Under-19 Asia Cup, which begins in Oman on Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Uddish will need that kind of homework again, and probably more of it. The UAE are placed alongside India, Pakistan and Nepal in this year\u2019s U19 Asia Cup. After Sooryavanshi, the spotlight in Indian men\u2019s age-group cricket has been on Anvay Dravid and Aaryavir Sehwag, sons of Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both featured in India U19\u2019s recent series win against Australia U19 and struck quickfire hundreds of their own in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. There\u2019s also captain Lakshay Raichandani and Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan to plan against as well when the India-UAE clash happens on November 10.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That appetite for a contest and come out on top goes back a long way for Uddish, who started playing at four, under his first coaches Shehzad and Prashant, and the gateway was Cubs cricket, a school under-7 tournament his elder brother Tanish had first played at five and a half years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs soon as he gradually started playing more and more cricket, seeing him, I started to gain a passion towards the sport. I used to just wear his gears whenever I was free and I think the parents did see the interest in me. They\u2019re like, \u2018Ok, maybe we can push him through academies and see where it goes.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThen eventually at the age of four, I got selected for the same tournament my brother played as well for the school. From there on, it was just training sessions regularly, and then I got fully immersed into the sport and today here I am,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The route to left-arm wrist-spin was something of a family negotiation. \u201cMy school coach Prashant sir wanted to make me a wicketkeeper. But my brother is a wicketkeeper as well. My parents were like, \u2018Sir, just imagine both my sons, both wicketkeepers. The competition will eventually be between both of them.\u2019<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhereas my parents personally wanted me to be a fast bowler or a spinner. So they started with pace bowling. Then my coach is like, 'Okay, if not a keeper, don\u2019t make him a fast bowler because of the weather conditions in the UAE especially, work on his spin bowling and I think that\u2019s where my spin journey started. Then just caught on with the left arm chinaman.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now he looks up to two of the finest current exponents of the craft. For T20s, it is Noor Ahmad, whose use of pace and variations he admires. For the 50-over game, it is Kuldeep Yadav. \u201cComing to ODIs, I would look more at Kuldeep Yadav where his trajectory of the ball is very different compared to Noor Ahmed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where I would look up to Kuldeep Yadav in a 50-over game because I think that would probably create double things in the batsman\u2019s mind where I can use that as well to make the batsman think whether I should go charge on this ball or not.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThat one millisecond, if he gets late on the shot, I think I can just pick up a wicket. So I mean, depending on the format, I would look up to the bowler. Kuldeep Yadav and Noor Ahmed are my top picks in left-arm chinaman for sure.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Tanish, the wicketkeeper and Uddish\u2019s elder brother, has played 13 ODIs and 14 T20Is for the UAE, and remains his younger brother\u2019s sounding board. The two speak almost every day, and before a training session here, Tanish, who has toured Oman before, briefed Uddish on the conditions he will encounter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Those chats also cover what went wrong on the day, and life beyond cricket, but the nets are where Tanish is most hands-on with Uddish. \u201cEven when we train together, when I bowl to him or when he gives me throwdowns, he always shows me, you can work on this part of your skill or you can just try bowling your googly a bit more quicker.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cSo that can help me increase my pace, get more drift, and turn, which obviously helps me in my career as well. So I think my brother has a very big impact on my career as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Behind both brothers are their steadfast parents. \u201cI am grateful to have such parents. Since a very young age, they have been very supportive for both me and Tanish. I think without them, I wouldn\u2019t be or Tanish wouldn\u2019t be where he is or where I am at this point of stage where we are right now. I\u2019m very grateful to God for having parents like them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThey have sacrificed their social life, social events, and parties - all that just for us. They used to run behind just our matches, no matter how the weather was, especially in UAE, the conditions are very harsh during the summer. It touches about 50 degrees, but at under 16, and under 19, my mom and my dad always used to sit near the boundary ropes, no matter how hot it was.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
From the boundary, they would call out advice on avoiding the wrong shot, and their presence alone lifted the Suri brothers' confidence. Uddish\u2019s own schedule has hardly been lighter than theirs. With a family business to think of, Suri took science at school and is now studying mechanical engineering at a university.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His days split between five to six hours of study and the same hours are dedicated to training. In university, things have eased slightly, though he expects the course to get tougher. Competitive sports, he points out, comes with an expiry date.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cObviously your qualification and academics are going to help you reach somewhere even better even after your sports are done. So I think balancing my academics is key here and I think I\u2019m doing it very well and I will continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After the Asia Cup, Suri heads straight into the Abu Dhabi T10 league. First, though, come India, Nepal and Pakistan, and Suri, who\u2019s coming off playing Emirates D50 and D10 competitions, is unfazed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHonestly, we are looking for a good challenge. I mean, the entire team is from that. We\u2019re in a good group which consists of India and Pakistan, known to be one of the best Asian countries in youth cricket. But I think we have been training again from the past three and a half months in the UAE.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important as a rising star, as youth cricket is a way you can set up your platform and get into the national side. Perform here, score and do well for the country. It is very exciting for me as well as my teammates to have an opportunity to play in this Asia Cup and do well for the team and the country.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He thanked the Emirates Cricket Board for its facilities and head coach Naveed Ahmed, assistant coach Zahoor Khan and team manager Nael Tanveer for the groundwork. \u201cThey have put in their immense efforts and hard work. Again, the conditions in the UAE are very harsh. It was very hot, but we have trained immensely just for this.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs a unit, we are very strong as well. Hopefully we can surprise everyone by beating both of the teams - at least one of them and qualifying for the semis and reaching somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Last year, he manifested one big wicket of Sooryavanshi and made it happen. This time, he wants to manifest a surprise. Whether this year\u2019s vision comes true, time will tell soon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs a unit, we are very strong as well. Hopefully we can surprise everyone by beating both of the teams - at least one of them and qualifying for the semis and reaching somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> Special Cricket Stories<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n