Tags:
Journalism of Courage
MUMBAI, OCT 3: The Close Up-sponsored Indian Express (under-19) Trophy Cricket Tournament will feature two under-16 cricketers in the next around action at the Brabourne Stadium on October 8, when the Polly Umrigar XI takes on Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi XI.
The two are in rival teams: Sanchit Pandey for Umrigar XI and Vinit Indulkar for Pataudi XI. A third Under-16 lad, who found himself in the under-19 ranks was Sangram Bagul. Unfortunately, his team (Kapil Dev XI) was beaten by Ravi Shastri XI in the opening game of the championship.
Incidentally, Bagul (15) is a highly promising middle-order bat, who also bowls medium-pace. When he was 13, Bagul scored 305 in a 40-over game Inter-School Championship. Last year, at 14, he forced his way into the Mumbai under-16 side.
Indulkar, like Bagul, is also from the Elf-Vengsarkar Academy. Hailing from Kolhapur, the 14-year-old comes from a rich cricketing stock: his grand father and grand uncle played for Baroda while his father represented Maharashtra in RanjiTrophy. A middle-order bat, Indulkar scored 1600 in various junior tournaments last year and gained recognition by winning the Best Junior Cricketer Award from the Mumbai Cricket Association.
Originally from Nagpur, Pandey shifted base to Mumbai. The MIG (Bandra) lad has impressed pundits with his leg-spin. He also gained recognition from the selectors when he was picked for the Mumbai under-16 and under-14 sides.
