Three Ashoks who helped Suryakumar Yadav achieve his dream

Express News Service

NAGPUR: On February 9 at 8.01 am, Ashok Aswalkar received a WhatsApp call from his most famous ward, Suryakumar Yadav. “Sir, India ke liye khel raha hoon (sir I am playing (Test) for India),” said the No. 1 batter in the ICC T20I rankings. Having already made the ODI and T20I debuts in 2021, the Mumbai batter was longing for the Test cap. The dream became a reality when the former India player and coach Ravi Shastri handed him the Test cap in Nagpur ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“Shabaash Surya (well done Surya). The dream which we saw at the start of the journey has come true. Keep your focus and enjoy the game,” an emotional Aswalkar, who honed Surya’s cricketing skills along with coach Ashok Kamat, at the BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) ground in Anushakti Nagar, Chembur (Mumbai), told this daily. Adding further he said, “Even India head coach Rahul Dravid asked him to play his natural game and enjoy the moment without worrying about anything else.”

Anushakti Nagar houses scientists and academic geniuses employed by the BARC. Yadav Sr is a chief engineer at BARC. The family has been living in the area since 1989. Surya moved out of the colony in 2016. The 32-year-old Mumbai batter used to train regularly at the facility till he was picked in the national team – first for the T20Is and then the ODIs. Despite the cramped calendar and hectic schedule, he has been in regular touch with people including Aswalkar, who helped him in realising his dream.

“Say it coincidence but three Ashoks (his father Ashokkumar Yadav, senior coach Ashok Kamat and me Ashok Aswalkar) came together and produced one of the most destructive batters in the game,” said Aswalkar, who has been coaching budding cricketers at the ground for more than 30 years.

The right-hand batter started training at the facility when he was 10. Aswalkar along with the coach Kamat has seen his rise as a cricketer. But then came a time when Surya’s Mumbai and IPL franchise’s teammates leapfrogged him to make their India debuts. But once again, the three Ashoks came together to put their ward on the right track. “There comes a time when you don’t listen to anyone. You don’t understand no matter how much you are being advised. That period (3-4) years, which got wasted, made him understand. We gave him confidence as we always had a trust in his abilities. Once he decided, he made it possible,” added the coach.  

The coach also believed the marriage changed Surya completely as he became responsible and focussed. “A cricketers’ life is filled with ups and downs but Surya has seen downs a lot. But no matter what others say, his discipline on the ground is exemplary. Once he came with his kit to the ground but the pitch was not ready. ‘Surya aaj tujhe ghar vapis jaana hoga’ (Surya you have to return home today), I told him. He kept his kit bag there and sat beside the pitch for more than two hours,” remembered Aswalkar.

Aswalkar said Surya’s parents handed him to them (Kamat and him) once they were told that the boy has potential to be a good cricketer. “He always wanted to stay on the ground and avoid school. But his parents supported him in his quest and showed complete trust in us. This made our job easy.”

Surya might have got out cheaply in his debut Test but Aswalkar, like always, says he will be a gamechanger even in the longest format of the game once he gets going. “No matter which format he plays, he will always be a gamechanger. It’s a matter of spending some time at the crease. Once he does that, he will be unstoppable,” signed off the coach.
 
Shreyas to join squad for Delhi Test

India batter Shreyas Iyer has successfully completed his rehab at the National Cricket Academy following his back injury and has been cleared by the BCCI medical team, said a BCCI statement. “Shreyas will join the squad in New Delhi ahead of the second Test of the Australia tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” added the statement.

<br /> NAGPUR: On February 9 at 8.01 am, Ashok Aswalkar received a WhatsApp call from his most famous ward, Suryakumar Yadav. “Sir, India ke liye khel raha hoon (sir I am playing (Test) for India),” said the No. 1 batter in the ICC T20I rankings. Having already made the ODI and T20I debuts in 2021, the Mumbai batter was longing for the Test cap. The dream became a reality when the former India player and coach Ravi Shastri handed him the Test cap in Nagpur ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.</p> <p>“Shabaash Surya (well done Surya). The dream which we saw at the start of the journey has come true. Keep your focus and enjoy the game,” an emotional Aswalkar, who honed Surya’s cricketing skills along with coach Ashok Kamat, at the BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) ground in Anushakti Nagar, Chembur (Mumbai), told this daily. Adding further he said, “Even India head coach Rahul Dravid asked him to play his natural game and enjoy the moment without worrying about anything else.”</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.84 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.84 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Anushakti Nagar houses scientists and academic geniuses employed by the BARC. Yadav Sr is a chief engineer at BARC. The family has been living in the area since 1989. Surya moved out of the colony in 2016. The 32-year-old Mumbai batter used to train regularly at the facility till he was picked in the national team – first for the T20Is and then the ODIs. Despite the cramped calendar and hectic schedule, he has been in regular touch with people including Aswalkar, who helped him in realising his dream.</p> <p>“Say it coincidence but three Ashoks (his father Ashokkumar Yadav, senior coach Ashok Kamat and me Ashok Aswalkar) came together and produced one of the most destructive batters in the game,” said Aswalkar, who has been coaching budding cricketers at the ground for more than 30 years.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.84 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.84 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The right-hand batter started training at the facility when he was 10. Aswalkar along with the coach Kamat has seen his rise as a cricketer. But then came a time when Surya’s Mumbai and IPL franchise’s teammates leapfrogged him to make their India debuts. But once again, the three Ashoks came together to put their ward on the right track. “There comes a time when you don’t listen to anyone. You don’t understand no matter how much you are being advised. That period (3-4) years, which got wasted, made him understand. We gave him confidence as we always had a trust in his abilities. Once he decided, he made it possible,” added the coach.  </p> <p>The coach also believed the marriage changed Surya completely as he became responsible and focussed. “A cricketers’ life is filled with ups and downs but Surya has seen downs a lot. But no matter what others say, his discipline on the ground is exemplary. Once he came with his kit to the ground but the pitch was not ready. ‘Surya aaj tujhe ghar vapis jaana hoga’ (Surya you have to return home today), I told him. He kept his kit bag there and sat beside the pitch for more than two hours,” remembered Aswalkar.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.84 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.84 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Aswalkar said Surya’s parents handed him to them (Kamat and him) once they were told that the boy has potential to be a good cricketer. “He always wanted to stay on the ground and avoid school. But his parents supported him in his quest and showed complete trust in us. This made our job easy.”</p> <p>Surya might have got out cheaply in his debut Test but Aswalkar, like always, says he will be a gamechanger even in the longest format of the game once he gets going. “No matter which format he plays, he will always be a gamechanger. It’s a matter of spending some time at the crease. Once he does that, he will be unstoppable,” signed off the coach.<br />  <br /> Shreyas to join squad for Delhi Test</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.84 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.84 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>India batter Shreyas Iyer has successfully completed his rehab at the National Cricket Academy following his back injury and has been cleared by the BCCI medical team, said a BCCI statement. “Shreyas will join the squad in New Delhi ahead of the second Test of the Australia tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” added the statement.<br />