Gennext | Priyam Garg
AGE: 19
FROM: Parikshitgarh, Meerut
MENTOR: Sanjay Rastogi
BEGINNING: Priyam Garg doesn’t remember when he watched Sachin Tendulkar bat for the rst time. But he distinctly remembers that it was Tendulkar who made him fall in love with cricket.
Back then, there was no television at his home and young Priyam would skip his studies and rush to a nearby shop to watch Tendulkar play. That became a routine for the youngster.
While Priyam dreamt of donning the India colours someday, his father, Naresh was not too condent. Rather, he wanted his youngest son to settle down and focus on studies. It was not easy for Naresh to make ends meet. He would sell milk, deliver newspapers and ferry children to school in a minivan to run the family, and in such a scenario, cricket was never a priority.
But over the years, Naresh realised that his son wasn’t keen on studies, it was the 22yards that attracted him more. “We did not have enough money to buy him kits, so initially I bought him a bat worth 500 or so. Back then, it was a big deal,” Naresh, who is now a driver with the Uttar Pradesh health department, says.
Priyam lost his mother when he was 11 and since then, his father has ensured that there’s no problem. “It has been tough to make ends meet, but I have ensured that he gets whatever is required for his game. I am always there for him,” he says.
As days went by, Naresh took Priyam to Meerut to train under Sanjay Rastogi — a popular coach in the city, who has produced international cricketers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar. “I will be forever grateful to him (Rastogi) for helping Priyam. He always backed him and Priyam has come so far because of him,” Naresh says. The academy was 20 kms away from his home in Parikshitgarh, and Naresh would accompany Priyam everyday or would send one of his ve sisters along with him.
“He was a bright young talent, who was always willing to learn. He would spend hours at the nets,” Rastogi says. “His father played a key role in his development and it’s because of his sacrices that the boy has done so much. The best thing about him is that he is always ready for challenges,” Rastogi adds. After honing his skills at the academy, Priyam was picked for Uttar Pradesh’s U14 side and went on to play for the U16 and U19 sides. His consistent performances at the junior level helped him break into the India U19 side. In 2017, India A coach Rahul Dravid watched him score a century at an invitational tournament organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association in Alur, and he was added to the India U19 team soon. “I have learnt a lot from Rahul sir and Paras (Mhambrey) sir. Rahul sir taught
“My target is to break into the senior team now. I am working hard and hopefully, I will be able to full my dreams,” says India under19 captain Priyam Garg.
me a lot of things on how to adapt to the conditions and play according to the situation. That has been a great learning,” Priyam tells Sportstar.
He would have been a part of the side for the World Cup in 201■, but missed out because of an injury. However, Priyam made the most of the lost opportunity as he slammed an unbeaten century in his Ranji Trophy debut against Goa that year.
In his maiden rstclass season, he nished with ■14 runs in 10 outings, and soon booked berths in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy squads.
However, the biggest moment in his career came as he was chosen as the India captain for this year’s U19 World Cup in South Africa. Even though he did not have a memorable outing with the willow, India reached the nal of the tournament, before bowing out to Bangladesh.
That nal not only taught Priyam a lesson but also helped him grow as a cricketer.
“My target is to break into the senior team now. I am working hard and hopefully, I will be able to full my dreams,” he says.
Just before the U19 World Cup, Priyam was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping 1.9 crore in the IPL auction. While the coronavirus pandemic has delayed the tournament, Priyam is hoping to make it count as and when the tournament begins. “I can read the game pretty fast and that has been my strength and I want to develop that skill. I am looking forward to more opportunities,” Priyam says.
For the last few months, he was stuck at home and trained indoors, but it’s been a few weeks since he moved to Meerut to resume individual training. “During the lockdown, I could only do basic training and now that things are easing out, I am trying to get back in shape,” Priyam says. It has been a fairy tale for the young gun. And now, breaking into the senior team is his ultimate goal!
ACHARYA 2015-16: Represented Uttar Pradesh at U14, U16 levels
2017-18: Selected for the India U19 squad
2018: In September, made his List A debut for Uttar Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Troph match against Saurashtra; In November, made his Ranji Trophy debut against Goa and slammed an unbeaten 117
2019: In February, made his T20 debut for Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy xture against Maharashtra; In December, he was named the captain of India for the U19 World Cup; Sunrisers Hyderabad roped him in IPL auction for 1.9 crore
2020: In February, led India to the U19 World Cup nal