Radhakrishnan looks to make it big in England

Almost after two decades, Coimbatore will see a home-grown cricketer play in England as part of India’s under-19 squad next month.

A batsman who bowls leg-spin too, S. Radhakrishnan, a product of Sri Ramakrishna Cricket Trust Academy, looks to be on song on the bouncy and seaming pitches in England. His strong backfoot play is expected to pay off against the moving deliveries.

The Indian Colts team is scheduled to play two four-day games and five one dayers. The only player from Tamil Nadu in the squad, Radhakrishnan is obviously delighted. “I am quite happy but at the same time I want to hold back my excitement and focus on my game. It is very easy to get carried away under such circumstances,” he says.

The 18-year-old wants to dish out some delightful knocks for his team. “I am working a lot on my batting technique these days, especially on the art of leaving the delivery outside the off-stump line.”

“With the ICC under-19 World Cup (January 2018) in New Zealand fast approaching, I need some strong performances to back my case,” he adds.

Radhakrishnan, who will be on his maiden overseas tour, understands the importance of the series. “Every match counts and I will try my best to be as consistent as possible. I have sought the help of my coaches. Guru Sir (A.G. Gurusamy, Coimbatore) and Senthilnathan Sir (Chennai) for some vital inputs on batting – the approach, playing straight, allowing the ball to come on to the bat and how to score runs freely, ” he says.

“If I get set, then runs will start flowing easily. I will wait patiently until then,” he adds.

So is there a big hundred on the cards? “A couple of months ago, I used to only think of scoring hundreds but now I want to play ball by ball and the rest will happen,” he says.

Will that amount to pressure? “I have handled pressure situations before. But, at the moment, I have decided not to think about it,” he adds.

Radhakrishnan has already caught the eye of former cricketers Rahul Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad with his exceptional batting skills. So, an impressive show from here may well take him further to the top.