CHENNAI: Dinesh Lad still remembers the first conversation he had with Suved Parkar’s parents 13 summers ago. The soft-spoken, introverted Parkar was all of eight years old when his parents brought him to Lad’s academy to find out if their son could play cricket.
“I told them, ‘leave aside studies. Even if he doesn’t study, no problem because he would make it big in cricket’ and today I’m feeling really happy,” Lad says. There is a reason why Lad had made that bold prediction by observing a young Parkar only for minutes. “We always speak of attitude in cricket. Skills can be developed. With Suved, he had both. His attitude towards the game and just how he held the bat, it came naturally to him. There are not many who get the basics right even before they are coached.”
On Tuesday, Parkar became the 12th Indian batter to score a double century on his First-Class debut. The right-hander’s 252 and Sarfaraz Khan’s 153 helped Mumbai declare their first innings at 647/8 in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinals against Uttarakhand, who ended Day 2 at 39/2 in Bengaluru. In terms of the debut, this was a dream for Parkar.
Had Ajinkya Rahane been fit and available, Parkar wouldn’t have had the chance to play the quarters. But the break into the Mumbai team possibly came at the right time for Parkar. The right-hander, who has been a prolific scorer in age-group cricket, had a slight slump in form six months ago, only for Lad to ask him to stick to his basics.
The end result was, “He ended up scoring seven-eight centuries in 10 innings. So in terms of preparation, he had done everything right and these hundreds would have given confidence too,” Lad said. While his century on Day 1 helped rescue Mumbai from slight trouble, on Day 2, the double century consolidated their position in the game as they chase a 42nd Ranji Trophy title. “Suved’s biggest strength is his ability to bat for long periods. Since age-group levels, he has consistently done that, scoring even triple centuries in Harris Shield. Even in Times Shield, he has had a habit of making big centuries. This can’t be taught by anyone… he has worked on that aspect to put a price on his wicket,” Lad added.
Although Parkar’s developmental years have come in the age of T20, Lad — who is a renowned name in Mumbai cricket circles having coached the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shardul Thakur — has shielded him from that format. “You can develop that side of the game later on. I don’t let any age-group batters to play the T20 game and it is ditto with Parkar.” Brief scores: Mumbai 647/8d in 166.4 ovs (Suved 252, Sarfaraz 153; Deepak 3/89) vs Uttarakhand 39/2 in 11 ovs (Kamal 27 n.o).
Full story: newindianexpress.com