GHAZIABAD: Peers and gully cricket buddies call him ‘Jayasuriya’. Cricket romantics can take that a little further – if this Indian teenage version of the Lankan maestro needed a partner like Kaluwitharana, the selectors might have already found one in his academy mate.
Siddarth Yadav (18), a left-handed top order bat with an array of strokes, and wicketkeeper-batsman Aaradhya Yadav (17), who trained under the same coach for years, have found a spot in the Indian team for the ICC U-19 World Cup.
Father’s grit complemented Siddarth’s talent
The championship is scheduled in the Caribbean next year. Both are from Ghaziabad, but they have little else in common. The cricketing career of Siddarth is as much about his talent as his father’s grit. Shravan, who runs a general store in the NCR city’s Kotgaon area, used all the time and money he could save to see his son become a cricketer. “When he first held a bat, he took a left-handed stance. His grandmother told me ‘ ise seedha khada karwa’ (make him take a right-hand stance). I refused. I told her he should continue like this,” Shravan said.
“Siddarth was just four years old when he used to come to me and say ‘ papa aao cricket khelein’ (come papa, let’s play cricket). As he grew up, I saw him develop an interest in the game. I would close my shop for three hours in the afternoon to take him to a nearby ground for batting practice,” said Shravan.
Visits to the cricket ground became longer and more frequent as Siddarth began appearing for selection trials, eventually breaking into the state under-16 team.
“We had our struggles. I took him around for matches and gave him throwdowns at practice sessions. Today, he has done us proud,” Shravan said, adding with a grin that his shy and soft-spoken son was also akin to the Lankan legend in his demeanour. Siddarth, though, idolises another southpaw, the former Team India middle-order batter, Suresh Raina. Shravan met Aaradhya’s father Ajai Yadav a few years ago at an under-16 trial. “I urged Ajai to find a good coach for my son. He suggested that I send Siddarth to his academy (TN Memorial Cricket Academy) where former Indian cricketer Ajay Sharma was head coach,” Shravan said.
There, Siddarth and Aaradhya’s paths crossed for the first time. The precocious Aaradhya had already played at the state level in the U-14s, though till a few years ago, it was his elder brother Anchit who had seemed destined for cricket. Aaradhya was eight years old when he began leaning towards cricket, watching his brother practise. In 2016, the family leased a ground from the Ghaziabad Development Authority to start an academy there with Ajay Sharma as head coach. “Aaradhya was an allrounder but became a wicketkeeper after watching Dhoni,” Ajai said.
Siddarth Yadav (18), a left-handed top order bat with an array of strokes, and wicketkeeper-batsman Aaradhya Yadav (17), who trained under the same coach for years, have found a spot in the Indian team for the ICC U-19 World Cup.
Father’s grit complemented Siddarth’s talent
The championship is scheduled in the Caribbean next year. Both are from Ghaziabad, but they have little else in common. The cricketing career of Siddarth is as much about his talent as his father’s grit. Shravan, who runs a general store in the NCR city’s Kotgaon area, used all the time and money he could save to see his son become a cricketer. “When he first held a bat, he took a left-handed stance. His grandmother told me ‘ ise seedha khada karwa’ (make him take a right-hand stance). I refused. I told her he should continue like this,” Shravan said.
“Siddarth was just four years old when he used to come to me and say ‘ papa aao cricket khelein’ (come papa, let’s play cricket). As he grew up, I saw him develop an interest in the game. I would close my shop for three hours in the afternoon to take him to a nearby ground for batting practice,” said Shravan.
Visits to the cricket ground became longer and more frequent as Siddarth began appearing for selection trials, eventually breaking into the state under-16 team.
“We had our struggles. I took him around for matches and gave him throwdowns at practice sessions. Today, he has done us proud,” Shravan said, adding with a grin that his shy and soft-spoken son was also akin to the Lankan legend in his demeanour. Siddarth, though, idolises another southpaw, the former Team India middle-order batter, Suresh Raina. Shravan met Aaradhya’s father Ajai Yadav a few years ago at an under-16 trial. “I urged Ajai to find a good coach for my son. He suggested that I send Siddarth to his academy (TN Memorial Cricket Academy) where former Indian cricketer Ajay Sharma was head coach,” Shravan said.
There, Siddarth and Aaradhya’s paths crossed for the first time. The precocious Aaradhya had already played at the state level in the U-14s, though till a few years ago, it was his elder brother Anchit who had seemed destined for cricket. Aaradhya was eight years old when he began leaning towards cricket, watching his brother practise. In 2016, the family leased a ground from the Ghaziabad Development Authority to start an academy there with Ajay Sharma as head coach. “Aaradhya was an allrounder but became a wicketkeeper after watching Dhoni,” Ajai said.
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