Shreevats Goswami
The U-19 wicketkeeper's feats with both the glove and the bat has grabbed the attention of the selectors.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Sporting an unassuming fervour
Attributes: Left-hand opening batsman and wicketkeeper
 © Getty Images |
Shreevats Goswami came into the limelight in the opening match of the Under-19 tri-series featuring Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in July 2007 when he top scored with 77 runs off 109 balls leading the Indian team to victory against Sri Lanka by a huge margin of 159 runs.
Furthermore, the youngster from Liluah of Howrah district in West Bengal made a mark through his performances in the Indian squad’s triumphant crusade at the recently concluded ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. In sticky situations, he shouldered the dual job of a wicketkeeper as well as an opener quite ably.
Such feats underlined Shreevats’ cricketing prowess and to think he has yet to make his debut in first-class cricket. The left-hander made his virgin appearance in domestic cricket by playing his first List A match for Bengal against Delhi in the quarterfinal match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on April 2, 2008.
Background and Training
An avid sports lover, Shreevats started playing cricket at the age of eleven and also started training as a wicketkeeper since then. Until this season, Shreevats used to represent the Customs Club wherein he was coached by former national selector Ashok Malhotra in his formative years. Currently, he plays for Bhowanipur Club in Bengal.
Interestingly, the stumper chose the glove job since he believes that only being a batsman would not help him survive in the cut-throat spirit of the game. He reckons that he learnt the tricks of the footwork behind the stumps from Kiran More and Syed Kirmani during his training stint at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.
Shreevats’ debut act in first-class cricket was not very impressive as he scored only 25 runs off 55 balls for Bengal in the quarterfinals of the Premier Cup. The coming years will be crucial for the nineteen-year-old since he will have to prove his mettle and establish himself as a seasoned player.
The southpaw gave scintillating performances during India’s involvement in the U-19 triangular series in South Africa in January 2008. He pounded 97 with Tanmay Srivastava putting up a stand of 190 runs against the Proteas to gain a straight win at Pretoria and hammered another 104 against Bangladesh during the tournament which included nine boundaries.
Sambaran Banerjee, former captain and wicket-keeper of Bengal on Shreevats’ skills
"I have seen Shreevats quite a lot, and I think he is a real fighter, that’s a great quality that he possesses. But on the cricketing front, he still has a lot of things to learn, and fast. He is young, and has time on his hands.”
U/19 skipper Virat Kohli after India’s win over the Kiwis in World Cup semi-final
“We needed 6 to 7 runs per over and I had to be careful not to lose more wickets. It was a tricky situation but Shree (Goswami) and I gel really well. He played a super knock."
Saurav Ganguly on the youngster’s performance in the U/19 World Cup at Malaysia
"He’s a good player, I am happy for him. I hope he will keep up the good work."
During the U-19 World Cup, Shreevats handled the responsibility behind the wickets in a gutsy and mature manner in all the six matches though he could not be a prolific run-scorer. In the decisive semifinal against New Zealand, a well-composed 51 by the left-hander propped up the Indian team in a tense chase, wherein he combined with skipper Virat Kohli to score crucial 84 runs.
Shreevats takes pride in the fact that he was a part of the U-19 title-winning squad. However, he seems to be a rational critic of his performances as he believes that one should not keep basking in the glories of the past. His next target is realistic – bettering his performances by playing in the Ranji Trophy.
In the Indian Premier League, the Adam Gilchrist fan will feature in the Bangalore team – the Bangalore Royal Challengers. His selection for the Twenty20 Championship was decided by a draft system for U-19 players, wherein he will share the stage with cricket stalwarts like Rahul Dravid, Mark Boucher, Nathan Bracken, Anil Kumble, and Jacques Kallis among others.
Raring to go, the youngster considers the U-19 World Cup at Malaysia and the Indian Premier League as major launch pads for the juniors to make it to the next level.
WHY A YOUNG GUN?
- The stumper already holds commendable credits even before his involvement in domestic cricket.
- He has the time and opportunity to learn the tricks of the sport as well as establish himself.
- His work behind the wickets has been appreciated.
- Though he has not proven himself as a consistent scorer, he has shone through his overall performance in certain sticky situations.
- Samyukta Somvanshi