U-19 World Cup: From Rewa, Saumy Pandey, the boy who could be the next Ravindra Jadeja | Cricket News

The run-up is brisk and measured. The action is fluent and simple. The ball travels the perfect line and lands where he wants it to. The ball often skids off the surface, some break away from the right-handed batsman. Combine his wiry frame and the fiery attitude, little wonder that Saumy Pandey is likened to Ravindra Jadeja, his idol. Like Jadeja in the 2008 U-19 World Cup, he is enjoying a breakout campaign—his 17 wickets have come at an average of 8.47; the economy rate is a thrifty 2.44.The comparison is unfair, says his father Krishna Kumar Pandey, a Hindi teacher in a government school in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi drict. “I teach Hindi literature, so I am a bit strict on giving good grades. If people are comparing him with Ravindra Jadeja, it is not fair. Jadeja has played fifteen years of cricket, he has earned 100 marks in his career. He has done the hard yards, worked hard to reach at this level and has won so many games for India,” he explains to this paper.
His son, on the other hand, “has yet to earn that first mark in his career”. “Mujhe lagta hai Saumy abhi shunya pe hai (At present Saumy is on a zero),” he says.
Saumy’s parents, both teachers, wanted him to be a doctor.
But his coach Aril Anthony, while endorsing Saumy’s father’s views, says Jadeja’s body language and intent on the field fascinated him. So he tried every single day to emulate him. “He is from the IPL generation. He has grown up watching Jadeja, so one can’t blame him for trying to copy his idol. I also feel he will have to grind to reach Jadeja’s level,” says Anthony.
Doctor to spin doctor
Saumy’s parents, both teachers, wanted him to be a doctor. “We wanted him to become a doctor. Like my daughter (Apurva Pandey), whose aim from the beginning was to clear the UPSC exams. She is preparing for it in New Delhi. On the other hand, this boy used to eat only if he had a bat in his hands,” he recollects.
“I have tried my way telling him that you have to score this much then only we will allow you to join an academy. He was sharp and used to get good marks,” Pandey Sr says, laughing. He now wants him to clear at least the intermediate exam.
But after seeing his son’s passion for the game, the Pandey family moved to Rewa, which is 35km from their village Bharatpur so that he could get proper training. “When he was eight, we rented accommodation in Rewa and took him to Aril sir’s academy. Since then he has never looked back,” says Pandey Sr.
The family were not to rue the decision. From a young age, he showed spark and talent. “Right from a very young age, I had observed one thing that he is a very practical bowler. He is excellent in matches and that you can see in his bowling. He uses the crease very well, varies his pace and always tries to spin the bowl. People think he keeps bowling on one spot, but I disagree, he hits the good length more often,” says Anthony, who calls him a thinking bowler.
Watch his spunk and aggression, and Anthony proudly says: ”Ek spinner mey fast bowler ki aatma hai (He has got the soul of a fast bowler).”
Saumy Pandey with family.
“Intent has always been there. He prepares well before the game. He reads the pitch nicely. You don’t need to tell him things twice. I find him a street-smart cricketer. He knows how to execute his plans,” he adds. Just like Jadeja, you could add.
In the first two matches, Pandey bagged seven wickets but Anthony said his ward was not quite happy. “Sir choti team ke khilaf wicket le kar kya fayda (What’s the point of taking wickets against smaller teams?),” he would ask his coach.
“I also don’t praise him often. I also told him ‘I will see how you will bowl against big teams like New Zealand, Australia, Pakan and South Africa.’ His test of mind will be the final. He has had an excellent World Cup so far and I want to see whether he has in it him to finish on a high,” says Anthony.
IPL attention
The performances, though far away in Benoni, has grabbed the attention of IPL scouts. After his match-winning 4 for 24 in the opening game against Bangladesh, he received a call from a franchise to be their net bowler. The 19-year-old, also the team’s vice captain, turned it down, saying his priority is to “play Ranji Trophy first.”
“After the first match, he called me and said ‘sir, IPL se call aa raha hai, mujhe kya karna chahiye? (I have received a call from the IPL team, please tell me what should I do?).’ I asked what his aim was in the larger scheme of things, he immediately said, ‘sir Test cricket khelna hai (I want to play Test cricket). He had the answer, he just wanted my nod,” remembers Anthony.
Saumy Pandey with coach Aril Anthony.
The coach always had a piece of advice to him: “Don’t run after money.” “I have told him specifically that IPL is just for entertainment. Instead, he should focus on his cricket and if he does well in first-class cricket, there will be more teams who would be interested in signing him. You are just 19, don’t run after money,” explains Anthony.
Saumy always sets “small, small goals,” the coach says. “The first was to get selected for India U-19. It’s done, now he wants to play Ranji Trophy for Madhya Pradesh and then for India A. I am not saying he doesn’t want to play in the IPL but if he would do well for Madhya Pradesh and Central Zone he will be an automatic pick in the IPL auction,” says Anthony.
“I feel IPL is not a good platform for any youngsters. One bad over and your confidence will be shattered. A young cricketer must go step step,” adds Anthony. His ward, though, is leaping up the stairs.