Srikkanth c Gifford b Denly 143 (113 balls, 18x4, 5x6)That was young Anirudh at Siliguri today, smashing the English under-19 attack to bits, very much like the other Srikkanth—his father.Of course, there are miles to go before judgement day, but after the India under-19 star’s hurricane knock, which helped his team wrap up the one-day series against England 4-1, they are already talking of the next Srikkanth.Ask team coach Venkatesh Prasad.‘‘He is as aggressive as his father. He wants to dominate the bowling and has a very good eye, which helps him pick the ball early. He is also a very good striker,’’ says Prasad.‘‘It is really quite early to say anything. But he is much more composed, and does none of the things his father did.twiching his nose or walking to the square leg umpire. He looks remarkably relaxed. Also, I have not seen him try anything different like his father—a slash over point, for instance,’’ says Prasad. The young dasher prefers to play down any comparisons. In fact, he claims that father and son have never seen each other play.‘‘By the time I understood what cricket was, he had stopped playing,’’ says Anirudh.Even the father prefers to let this one—on his second son—go past without a shot. ‘‘We have a cement wicket at home on which I have seen him play a few times. That’s it,’’ says Krishnamacahri Srikkanth.But Srikkanth Sr admits that this is not the first time Anirudh has been compared to him. ‘‘Dilip (Vengsarkar) too was telling me he plays like me,’’ says Srikkanth Sr.Vengsarkar is the BCCI’s Talent Resource Development Wing chairman and has been tracking the progress of the under-19 side.So what are the tips the father passed on to his son, a Commerce student? ‘‘Nothing, really. I just try to boost his confidence, since you cannot really change anybody’s style. Everyone has to come up on their own,’’ says Srikkanth Sr.The last shot, of course, is Anirudh’s. He ‘‘likes’’ to watch Brian Lara and Virender Sehwag play, ‘‘but that does not mean I don’t like my father’s batting style.’’
