This Mysore lad, unlike the ‘Mysore Express’, former India pace spearhead Javagal Srinath, is not only an opening batsman but can also bowl some off-breaks with his spinning ability. The talented 19-year-old Ravikumar Samarth is whom we are talking about.
At a time when Karnataka is searching for the next cricketer to don the India cap from the state, Samarth’s arrival might well fulfill that dream sooner than later. He has scored a lot of runs for his club side, Swastic Union and naturally, talent scouts have been taking cognizance of his knocks.
Samarth has made sure that the faith and hope that is reposed in him is fulfilled with some splendid performances. The gutsy and technically sound Samarth has been making waves on the local circuit.
At this age, Samarth was fortunate to figure in the Shafi Darashah Trophy winning side, the KSCA XI. They defeated Mumbai Cricket Association in the final and Samarth received his prize from legendary cricketers B S Chandrasekhar, G R Vishwanath and Sudhakar Rao. Samarth played in the team led by the state Ranji Trophy team captain Ganesh Satish.
Established players like K B Pawan, C M Gautam, Abhimanyu Mithun, Amit Verma, K P Appanna were around to inspire and encourage him. Samarth took full advantage to produce some blazing knocks at the top of the order.
Giving his team good starts was his responsibility and Samarth almost always succeeded in doing just that. Samarth had a crucial role to play in his team making it to the finals and then winning it as well.
Samarth began with a bang making 51 in the first innings and 61 in the second against KSCA Colts XI. He made 37 against Baroda in about an hour’s stay at the wicket facing 42 deliveries and hit five fours.
Against Bangladesh, opener Samarth was out for a duck in the first innings. But he gathered his wits and confidence to make a splendid 86 in 201 minutes off 132 balls with eight fours and a six.
He also did well in the final against Mumbai though Amit Verma stole the thunder from everyone with a mammoth double century that put his team in the driving seat.
Nevertheless, a total of about 300-odd runs in only four games speaks a lot for the lad’s guts and talent. He also turned out for Bangalore Brigadiers in the Karnataka Premier League T20 venture and did appreciably well two years ago.
Ironically, Samarth took to cricket by chance. “Yes, there was a cricket camp in my school, Bishop Cotton. My mother asked me to join it and from then on I became interested in the game,” said Samarth. “Once I got into it and played club cricket, I became serious about the game and now I will do my best to go as far as I possibly can in the game,” added the confident youngster.
“I was the captain of the Karnataka under-19 team last year and also the vice captain of the South Zone team. The matches were played in Shimoga and I scored over a 1000 runs last season in the under-19 state tournament, both in one-dayers and four day matches. I scored four centuries, against Kerala, Hyderabad, Andhra and UP and a double hundred against Gujarat,” said Samarth. “Playing in the Shafi Darashah Trophy against some very experienced players has boosted my confidence. I always try to do my best in every match. My coaches have been very helpful,” he said.
“It was Irfan Sait sir who coached me at school and later I trained under coaches like Ananth sir. They have helped me improve my game,” added the right-hander. “My immediate goal is to perform well and make it to the Ranji Trophy team. Of course, I want to do better and one day play for India,” said Samarth.
Ananth is full of praises for the youngster. “Samarth is a very talented batsman. I have lot of hope in him. He has been doing well and as he keeps it up, he will gain enough experience to perform at higher levels also. If he keeps up his hard work, I am sure Samarth will make us proud in the near future,” Ananth added.
Somehow, Karnataka has not produced a genuine opening batsman. Rahul Dravid did open often but he was the most famous one-drop batsman. Samarth will perhaps turn out to be Karnataka’s most famous opening batsman in the future.
