Indian cricket may have encountered some serious controversies recently, but for the countless youngsters aspiring to emulate their sporting idols, it still remains the primary sport of choice.

20-year-old Srinath Venkatraman, or ‘Natha’ as he is popularly called, is one such individual whose passion and commitment for the sport remains undiminished and as unflinching as it was when he first came to the sport as a 10-year-old. In his own words, here are his experiences and aspirations from the cricketing domain:

Q. What was the motivation behind you picking up cricket? What was so unique about cricket that it appealed to you?

I always wanted to get into sports; when I got the opportunity to take up cricket, it was the perfect icing on the cake. I started with athletics when I was six years old. But when the coach of my school specifically asked my parents to enroll me for the school cricketing team a few years later, I digressed towards cricket. My father has been a major motivation for me to succeed in this highly competitive domain. The field is quite challenging. It helps individuals to develop major resistances – discipline – as a person, motivates one to push himself. Not just physically, but also mentally and spiritually.

Q. What has kept you going in the sport? What are your aspirations and your dreams regarding yourself as a cricketer?

Once I got into cricket, my liking further kept me going. There was no point when I wasn’t motivated or focused from within. The manner in which the sport is played has also influenced my passion for it. It’s a major reason why I continue to strive to excel myself in this field.

I was selected for the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) district selection at the U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels. That’s when I realised that I had the potential and desire to make it big. I have never looked back from that point on.

Q. All budding cricketers look up to cricketing legends as inspirational icons. Who do you look up to and why?

I have never really modeled my game on any cricketer. I firmly believe that individuality is always better than trying to emulate an idol.

Q. If you had to describe yourself as a cricketer, how would you describe your salience?

I am an all-rounder. In terms of bowling, I have a natural ‘Chinaman’ style of bowling, though I have had to alter my style to be a fast bowler. As a right-hand batsman, I have no set preference about coming out to the middle. I have modulated my game to suit any batting order. Thus, I am as comfortable to open an innings as I am to go lower down the order if that’s what my team needs and wants me to do.

For those unaware about the terminology, ‘Chinaman’ is a colloquial reference to left-arm leg spinners. It is a highly difficult bowling style to master. There are very few individuals in Indian cricket – and even in the global cricketing panorama – having a genuine Chinaman bowling action. The number of bowlers who have made it big in the international cricket circuit as Chinaman bowlers is also thus quite minuscule.

Q. You spoke about having to change your bowling action. Why did you have to alter your natural style and how difficult was it for you to do so?

Though it wasn’t difficult as such to change my bowling style, the problems in the system accounted for a lot of frustration. In the end, fueled by my frustration, I decided that if changing my style was necessary, I would do it. Today, I am as competent a bowler as I was with my natural bowling talent. There’s no regret, thus.

Q. Elaborate on the context of the system. How have you coped? Are there any feelings that you may have missed out on opportunities?

Honestly, the difficulties in the system have made me an ever better person as much as they have given me reasons to prove myself. In order to ensure that my cricketing prospects don’t get missed out, I have had to change bases from Mumbai from Coimbatore. It was a great experience. I got play for the Bhartiyar University, the top-ranked university in Coimbatore. I got to explore newer opportunities to the optimum, and that brought me a sense of immense joy and pride.

Though I have experienced set-backs, I haven’t taken my failures to heart and shall never do so. Though at the same time, my desire and aggression to push myself has increased manifold after having experienced these minor derailments. Today all I want for myself is to be stable and quite satisfied with the next half of my life – by being proudly able to acknowledge myself as a cricketer par excellence.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may have entered into some tricky waters presently, but there’s no denying that the cricketing body has done a lot to encourage the sport in the country. But where the BCCI is said to have provided immense incentives to even tier-two and tier-three players, there’s a strong feeling amongst budding cricketers like Natha that the BCCI could do with providing more opportunities at the grass-root level.

Supporting and offering sustenance by way of infrastructure at these bottom tiers of the sport would ensure that the country doesn’t lose out on potential cricketers because of their inability to ill-afford the cost of taking up the sport.

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