THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram-based cricketing prospect Ananthakrishnan J has taken a huge stride in his cricketing career after he earned a selection to the BCCI’s Zonal Cricket Academy cricket coaching camp to be held at Visakhapatnam from May 20 to June 17.
Thanks to his fine form with the bat and ball for his home state Kerala, the 15-year-old will spend close to a month with some of the best cricketing talents in the region under the watchful eyes of top coaches. An all rounder by trade, Ananthakrishnan has been a consistent performer for Kerala in the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy over the last couple of seasons.
Ananthakrishnan scored a century against Goa in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in the 2015-16 season in Hyderabad and followed it up with a 116 runs knock against Tamil Nadu in the 2016-17 season in a match in which he took four wickets too - grabbing the attention of the selectors.
Son of Jeevaratnam and Bindhu of Chandrakantham in Kaimanam here, Ananthakrishnan is a trainee of the Sports Authority of India’s cricket coaching centre at the Medical College Ground. He is being trained by former Kerala Ranji Trophy team coach Biju George.
The Zonal Cricket Academy is an undertaking of the famed National Cricket Academy functioning at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. During his month-long camp, the youngster will undergo rigorous training and play friendly matches - in which a good showing can help his stocks to rise.
The youngster who started playing cricket at the age of 10 is a student of Government Model School, Thiruvananthapuram and is awaiting the result of his SSLC examination. A right-handed batsman and leg spinner, Ananthakrishnan pads up for Muthoot Yamaha Masters Cricket Club at the club level.