Teen Star With Big Appetite
CHENNAI: At a time when youngsters prefer the slam-bang version of the game, thanks to T20’s popularity, it is heartening to see a youngster like Nidhish S Rajagopal, who showed impeccable temperament to play a long innings.
On his debut for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Merchant (U-16) Trophy, Nidhish scored a double hundred against Kerala in Hyderabad. He also made a valuable 59 against Karnataka.
A left-handed batsman, the youngster relishes playing in the middle order and is also an excellent fielder. “He is a good middle-order batsman and an excellent slip fielder. He is mentally very strong and knows how to pace his innings,” said Subramania Siva, Tamil Nadu U-16 coach. “His double ton against Kerala was brilliant and he showed excellent temperament. That innings will propel him to do better in the future,” added Siva.
Nidhish is a student of St Bede’s school which is known to nurture cricketers. “I am studying in the XIth standard at St Bede’s. I moved from Modern School to St Bede’s to focus more on the game. My school and parents are very supportive and I must thank them for their encouragement,” said Nidhish.
The youngster who plays for Sical in the lower division league states that the situation brought out the best out of him against Kerala. “We had to chase about 400 runs that Kerala made. So I decided that I would hold fort at one end, curtail my flamboyance a bit and play a big innings. Luckily things worked for me,” recalled the modest youngster. Nidhish models his game on Ajinkya Rahane.
“I am a great fan of Rahane. I have modelled my game on him. I like to imbibe Rahane’s temperament and excellent shot making into my game,” he said.
Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad have qualified from South Zone for the all-India round of Vijay Merchant trophy. “We will be playing the all-India round from the first week of January, I am keen to do well. My aim is to now play in the First Division of the TNCA league the coming season. I am working hard on my game and hope to improve with every opportunity I get to play for my state,” he signed off.