Sanju Samson is perhaps the most visible of teenaged cricketers who have caught the eye recently,thanks to his performances for the Rajasthan Royals,but the Kerala batsman is just one among several youngsters who have had a fairly remarkable domestic season. Samson (19),along with Tamil Nadus Baba Aparajith (19),Maharashtras Vijay Zol (19) and Hyderabads Hanuma Vihari (20),may all belong to the T20 era,but have proved their credentials in the longer format of the Ranji trophy. With all of the above teams,except for Maharashtra,unable to progress from the group stage,the domestic season for these cricketers is more or less over. While all batsmen are pass-outs of the under-19 system,Aparajith and Vihari have graduated,Zol and Samson are currently with the Indian youth side playing the Asia Cup in Dubai,where they will be looking to cap off an already remarkable season. Fresh from his exploits in the Champions League,it was a remarkable sight to Samson transform fluidly into a batsman who could concentrate for a longer period of time. Against Assam in Keralas Ranji Trophy opener,Samson batted for almost eight hours for his 211,an inning which salvaged a floundering Kerala first innings,and allowed his side to claim the prized first innings points. Aparajith,with 584 runs,was Tamil Nadus most prolific batsman this season,but Viharis season was even better. The Hyderabad batsman ended up fifth on the list of top run-getters,with 841 runs at an average of 93.44. The batsman,who comes in at one drop,hit three successive hundreds,including a double,to end the season. Maharashtras Zol who was unavailable for the last two rounds,scored 410 runs at a healthy average of 51.25. It is even more remarkable that,despite their youth,everybody except for Zol had already made their First Class debuts,before the 2013-14 season. Still,this is perhaps the first big year in the circuit for all of them. Playing for the country at under-19 level is a huge responsibility and honour. However,First Class cricket according to me is a greater test. Ever since I started playing cricket,getting into the Maharashtra team and performing for the side have been my goals. The Ranji Trophy is the stage really to get yourself noticed, says Zol. Aparajith began the season with a bang,with a commanding 212 in the quarterfinal of the Duleep Trophy,going on to score a 109 in the semifinal against Central Zone before following it up with two hundreds and two fifties in the Ranji season. He is another batsman that betrays no sign of suffering from the effects of T20 cricket. I believe that once a batsman is settled and gets his eye in,it is very important for him to continue. The toughest part is to get yourself going. Once you get the first 30 runs,then it is in your hands to really make it count. I just believe in not thinking too far ahead. It becomes really difficult if you already start thinking about a century or a double when you are on 20, he says. Before and after the under-19 World Cup,I have played a lot of days cricket. I play quite a few league games in Chennai,two and three day games and these matches teach you to manage your time,work through tough phases. The focus was always to break into the Ranji Trophy team and then perform on that stage whether with the bat or the ball. For me,the challenge is to do well in all three formats, he says. Aparajith hasnt done too badly in the limited overs game. He averages 37.91 from 13 innings and he struck a match-winning 121 on debut in the Deodhar Trophy against East Zone this year. His teammate from the 2012 under-19 World Cup winning team,Vihari,is another youngster not fazed by having to grind out his runs. This season,I was getting starts,but then I began manufacturing shots. However,grafting was something that I started doing from the fourth round. It was a concious effort, he says. He made 511 runs at 125.25 in the matches since the fourth round. While the runs,and with them,the attention,flows in,Bharat Arun,coach of the India u-19 team for the past two years,says the boys will surely feel the pressure. Aparajith is someone who will analyse each minute that he spent at the crease. He really works and tries very hard to understand himself. However,the expectations from these players are really high and living up to them definitely adds to the pressure, he says. Talent not enough Chandrakant Pandit,currently the director of cricket at the Kerala Cricket Association,brings up the other issue,about how the youngsters still need to mature as players. There is no doubting the talent. However,talent is not the only thing. I believe that Samson needs to mature and start taking more responsibility. He needs to analyse his shots,needs to read the situation. He is a very good player,but he needs to work his way through the Ranji Trophy, he says. Maturing cricketers,according to Pandit are far more likely ro be consistent,a key factor on the circuit. Samson got a double,then a century,but then he tailed off for a little while. He got out to some irresponsible,bad shots. You need to consistently score,you cannot have stop-start seasons, he says. Having moved without too much trouble between several formats and grades of cricket,for the youngsters,doing it one more time the next season,will be a truer indicator of their rare promise.
