S. Radhakrishnan’s entry in the Indian under-19 squad for the England tour next month has doubled the joy of the people in the city, the Coimbatore District Cricket Association (CDCA) and his coaches at the Sri Ramakrishna Cricket Trust Academy (SRCTA) nets at the SNR Sons College grounds here.
“I am delighted that he has been picked in the team. He has been a bright prospect ever since he started getting coached at Sri Ramakrishna Academy by Gurusamy and others. His approach and temperament are very good, and playing shots a trifle late is his plus point. I wish and trust that this is just a stepping stone in his career," said D. Lakshminarayanaswamy, the CDCA Head.
A.G. Gurusamy, the senior most coach at SRCTA and a man who groomed him to this level, expects this young man to do very well in England. “The wicket could be green and enable more seam movement. But he has got the technique. He is strong on the drive and his back-foot game is excellent. The condition will suit his style of play,” he said.
Radhakrishnan loves to play more on the on-side. “But now I have trained him to play a lot straighter because it may help him at the higher level,” he added.
He was pleased with his progress. “Until a year ago nobody knew about him but today everybody is talking about him. He is the only player from the South to be in the list of probables for the under-19 World Cup. His climb has been that quick. He got the scores at the right time and had the right people watching him.”
Vinod Kumar and K. Nazer, the other coaches at the Academy, were proud of their ward’s achievements. “He is dedicated, hard working and quite knowledgeable too. The Academy has produced a lot of State stars but today we are proud that there is somebody playing for the country,” said Vinod.
“He is a stylish player who picks the length early. I wish him great success in England,” he added. Nazer has seen the young cricketer as a four-year-old. “I was coaching then at the Kikani School. So, I am obviously happy to see him climb to this level. He is a good all-rounder, a strong cricketer who can bat big and spin the ball too. The entire academy is elated with his success. I am sure he will make the district, State and the country proud.”
(The earlier version of this article had a wrong spelling of cricketer Radhakrishnan.)
