CHENNAI: Manav Parakh doesn’t speak a lot; his words are measured and even monosyllabic at times. The 18-year-old is among the exciting cricketing talents to have emerged out of Tamil Nadu in recent years. He is now in the India Under-19 A team that will play in a triangular series in Kolkata as part of the preparations for the U-19 World Cup scheduled for 2022.
He has climbed the age-group ladder without having a dedicated coach. “Since my father was interested in cricket, he put me in summer camps; my childhood memories are just about cricket,” he says. “I got the basics from there and kept playing matches, which helped me learn. By the time I started playing first-division cricket, I had coaches who would teach me the technical side. I started by see-ball, hit-ball.”
A student of B Com at Loyola College, Manav, who bats left-handed and bowls off-spin, started his age-group cricket as a batting all-rounder. Even when he turned out in the First Division for Alwarpet, MCC (Chemplast) and India Cements teams — Grandslam and UFCC-T Nagar — he was largely seen as a top-order batsman. But at the Under-19 level, he has been picked more as a bowling all-rounder, a role he is ready to adjust. “I was just consistent in Under-16 levels,” says Manav speaking on how he made it to India A Under-19 level. “Having said that, a knee injury I picked up during a match at the National Cricket Academy kept me out for a year and then the pandemic happened. I was not sure I would get picked, but I guess luck was on my side.”
The knee injury is something that has altered his career. Maruthi Raghavan, who is with India Cements and has seen Manav grow as a player during his time as coach, shares, “He was very, very authoritative when he captained Tamil Nadu U-16s. He used to have fun with the boys, but knew when to draw the line. He is level-headed. Even if he has an off-day, he ensured his confidence doesn’t take a hit. After the injury, lack of practice during the pandemic meant his batting has taken a backseat and he is more of a bowler. But, I’d say it is just temporary. He is just three-four good innings away from getting his fluency back in batting.”
During his tough phase, his tight-knit family helped him stay in good spirits. Waking up with him at 4 am and dropping him at practice sessions at 5 am is the kind of support he received from his parents and elder brother, who occasionally accompanies him to the nets.