CHENNAI: It was not an easy decision but Amit Verma took it when he was around 15. He was inconsolable as he had lost his sister-in-law, Mamta Verma. His nephew, Aniket, was only three then and more than anyone Amit was worried about him. The worries only grew when his brother Umshankar got married again. Amit then decided to shift Aniket from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh where he was living with his mother Parvati Verma. It was a big responsibility and to ensure he doesn't fail, Amit started working when he was not even 18.
All those memories flooded back when Aniket, now 23, slammed a 41-ball 74 for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. "Aniket was always close to me and mother, hence we decided to bring him to Bhopal after his mother's death," Amit told this daily.
But shifting Aniket to Bhopal was not the toughest decision Amit has ever taken. Instead, it was his decision to support Aniket in his quest to excel in cricket. "Given the uncertainties the game posed, it was the toughest decision. Had he not made it to where he is now, everybody would have blamed me saying I brought him to Bhopal and then spoiled him by letting him choose cricket as his career," admitted the paternal uncle.
All those uncertainties are apparently things of the past as Aniket with his scintillating knock that comprised five fours and six sixes one again reposed the faith put on him by his uncle.
It all might look pleasing now but it was extremely difficult when the journey started around 13 years ago. "Initially he went to a Railway academy nearby our locality. After three years, the coaches there asked me to take him to Jyoti (Prakash Tyagi) sir who was coaching aspiring cricketers at the Ankur Cricket Academy. They were of the opinion that Aniket would get stagnant if he stayed at the Railway academy. I was working with a workshop of a vehicle showroom and earning around `3000 then. I was not in position to pay fees for an elite academy like Ankur. Jyoti sir, however, never charged anything after realising the true potential of Aniket. He in fact offered help in the form of providing cricket gears to Aniket whenever he needed them," reminisced Amit.
Always a good batter, Aniket has made a name for himself in years to come but was somehow not getting a chance to play for the senior Madhya Pradesh team. Then Madhya Pradesh League, a T20 franchise-based tournament, happened last year. Picked by Bhopal Leopards, he racked up 273 runs from six innings. It was his innings of 123 off just 41 balls which was laced with 13 sixes and eight fours that put him into the spotlight.
"At least five franchises called him for trials after the MP League and he attended three of them — Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Supergiants. He was picked by the Hyderabad franchise for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. It was after the auction he played a T20 game for Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but got out for a golden duck."
Coach Tyagi, who had predicted Aniket would climb up the ladders when the latter was only in his teens, is happy with his ward's success. "He made 256 runs during Ankur League when he was just 12 or 13. I told him then he will score 400 as well. He did that during an Inter-Divisional match for Bhopal against Chambal a couple of years ago. He always has that ability to hit hard and score runs in bulk but it's his hard work that made him successful. This is just the beginning. I am quite sure he will go places," said the coach.
The promise was always there but still it was a gamble as Aniket's studies have taken a backseat due to cricket. Amit, however, was not perturbed. "Unlike kids of his age, he would eat, drink and sleep cricket. It was difficult at times. Buying costly cricket gears was difficult as I sometimes have to borrow money to make things available. But when I brought Aniket to Bhopal, I had vowed to myself that I would never let him compromise on anything. It was not that he got everything on demand but I made sure he just has to play cricket without worrying about other aspects," said Amit.
Aniket's journey has been fascinating so far given the point from where he had started. Uncle Amit, coach Tyagi and others who played a role, no matter how small or big, in this journey will only hope that it only gets better from here on.
