R Ambrish in action on left and with his father R Sukumar on right. (ICC/Special arrangement)
It is a sight that R Sukumar won’t forget for a lifetime. And it is perhaps the instance when it all began for RS Ambrish.
A former cricketer, who remained on the fringes of the Railways Ranji Trophy team, Sukumar’s first gift to his son was a plastic bat. But it is what happened soon after Ambrish took his first step as a one-year-old that was significant.
“When he started walking, he took my titanium English willow bat in his left hand and stood comfortably,” Sukumar recalled how cricket and Ambrish came together. “When he started training, he batted right-handed, but I changed it to left because it seemed natural.”
And with Ambrish showing potential to bowl pace, a conscious decision was taken to make him bowl right-arm to avoid any strain on the left.
India’s talent pool might be overflowing in batting and, to an extent, on the bowling front as well with several promising youngsters coming through the ranks. But if there is one area where even the rich happen to be poor is seam-bowling all-rounders. It is an area where India’s cricketing ecosystem is so thin on options that anyone who shows potential is followed with keen interest. At the Under-19 World Cup, India have found not just potential, but a genuine all-rounder in Ambrish.
In the month leading to the World Cup, there were some concerned faces in India’s Under-19 think-tank when Ambrish picked up a side-strain and had to miss the Asia Cup. But the selectors were prepared to wait and included him in the World Cup squad without second thoughts.
Beyond new-ball pacers Henil Patel and Deepesh Devendran, it is Ambrish, who was India’s joint-highest wicket-taker in England, that India turn to at first-change. And in case their batting unit, that is brimming with flamboyance, has an off-day, it is Ambrish that they turn to for a rescue act. The 18-year-old has come through India’s age-group system, being a regular in the BCCI’s summer camp right from the U-16 category, as those at the Centre of Excellence keep a close tab on how much he bowls and bats even in Chennai’s league cricket. There is no better attestation to the potential they see in him.
After making his first-class debut earlier this season, even an IPL stint was on the cards with Ambrish attending Chennai Super Kings trials and being on the wishlist of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals.
Awards won by R Ambrish. (Special arrangement)
With Sukumar himself being a coach – he coaches the Integral Coach Factory’s cricket team in Chennai, Ambrish’s career has been meticulously planned.
“When he turned 5, I enrolled him at an academy and by 6, he was facing bowlers at the nets. By 8, I could see a spark in him and made him play U-10 matches where he was at home against older boys,” Sukumar says.
But at the Velammal schools, known for their famous chess factory, Ambrish had also started excelling in track and field.
“Even though he was getting formal cricket coaching, he was into sprinting and long jump, where he used to medal consistently. It was the time I flirted with the idea of him pursuing tennis as well. Since I never had luck in my career and couldn’t get a first-class cap despite scoring runs, I thought let’s put him in tennis, where it’s up to the individual. But since Ambrish always leaned towards cricket, I didn’t stop him,” Sukumar says.
Once he dived into cricket full time, Sukumar would put Ambrish in the famous Don Bosco School in Chennai, known for its cricketing infrastructure. Though athletics remained part of his schooldays, Ambrish would limit himself to intra-school meets. A stint at the MRF Pace Foundation also came by, where like Washington Sundar, he got exposed to batting against genuine quicks early in his development.
“In my mind, I have always wanted to be an all-rounder,” Ambrish says. “I know it is quite demanding, but if you can take care of your body, you can do both and help the team in every way. Of course, I’ve to focus a lot on strength and conditioning, but when I’m capable of doing it, it is only fair that I give it my all,” he adds.
While Ambrish has been predominantly seen as a batsman who can bowl seam-up in Tamil Nadu circles, at the India Under-19 levels, it has been the other way around, as his bowling is seen as the bigger asset. Having been part of this India Under-19 bunch for the last 18 months, Ambrish has delivered on both fronts. Sukumar refuses to get drawn into the debate, saying time will provide answers. What is of no doubt is that Ambrish is living the life that remained only a dream for Sukumar.
“I didn’t have luck on my side, and more importantly this kind of exposure. I played for my state only in age-group cricket, and never a first-class match, but he has already emulated me before turning into an adult. How he handles the competition from here on will make him. You have to keep scoring. And when you don’t, keep getting wickets. Unlike me, he has a lot of opportunities. Ranji Trophy, SMAT, IPL…there is no end to it,” Sukumar says.
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