A brief meeting with Suresh Raina changed the destiny of a Mumbai Indians batter
A brief meeting with Suresh Raina changed the destiny of a Mumbai Indians batter
Suresh Raina is unlikely to recall the unexpected encounter he had
with Salam Bayash, a little-known Hyderabad cricket coach, or the 12-year-old youngster who
joined him in tow at the HCA Stadium in Uppal in 2014.
On the following day, Chennai Super Kings faced Sunrisers Hyderabad, and 'Chinna Thala' had no idea that his five-minute interaction and photo with a then 12-year-old Namboori Thakur Tilak Varma would have such an influence on a 12-year-old's open mind.
After watching Raina reverse sweep Ravichandran Ashwin for a six eight years later, the now 20-year-old left-lucid hander's style of strokeplay must have brought a broad grin to his face.
In the way Bayash recalled the events of that day, it felt as if it had happened just yesterday. He said that he had a friend who worked as a manager in the area. He enlisted his assistance in obtaining permission to observe the exercise and brought 12-year-old Tilak Varma along.
He recalled that a wide-eyed Tilak simply admiring Suresh Raina's batting with admiration. He didn't take his gaze away from Raina's shots for even a second. Later they took photos with him, and he is convinced that Tilak's special meeting with Raina was enough to convince him to pursue a career in cricket.
Varma was always significant to Bayash, who played a key role in moulding his career from age-group cricket to U-19 and now sending a nearly-finished product to the Mumbai Indians.
The youngster stated that those innings were dedicated to his coach and parents. This is because he would not have progressed as far as I have without their support.
Bayash commented that Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings are all fantastic teams that provide young players with a lot of opportunities. It was lucky that Varma got in a champion club like the MI. As a coach, he is ecstatic that his student went on to play for the high-profile franchise.
But, despite all of this, Bayash' true happiness is found elsewhere. Bayash's only wish as a cricket player was to meet Sachin Tendulkar once in his life, chat with him, and seek his blessings.
The coach said that when he was a youngster, he had only one ambition: to meet and welcome Tendulkar. He is even happier that his pupil has met him and is following Tendulkar’s advice.
On the following day, Chennai Super Kings faced Sunrisers Hyderabad, and 'Chinna Thala' had no idea that his five-minute interaction and photo with a then 12-year-old Namboori Thakur Tilak Varma would have such an influence on a 12-year-old's open mind.
After watching Raina reverse sweep Ravichandran Ashwin for a six eight years later, the now 20-year-old left-lucid hander's style of strokeplay must have brought a broad grin to his face.
In the way Bayash recalled the events of that day, it felt as if it had happened just yesterday. He said that he had a friend who worked as a manager in the area. He enlisted his assistance in obtaining permission to observe the exercise and brought 12-year-old Tilak Varma along.
He recalled that a wide-eyed Tilak simply admiring Suresh Raina's batting with admiration. He didn't take his gaze away from Raina's shots for even a second. Later they took photos with him, and he is convinced that Tilak's special meeting with Raina was enough to convince him to pursue a career in cricket.
Varma was always significant to Bayash, who played a key role in moulding his career from age-group cricket to U-19 and now sending a nearly-finished product to the Mumbai Indians.
The youngster stated that those innings were dedicated to his coach and parents. This is because he would not have progressed as far as I have without their support.
Bayash commented that Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings are all fantastic teams that provide young players with a lot of opportunities. It was lucky that Varma got in a champion club like the MI. As a coach, he is ecstatic that his student went on to play for the high-profile franchise.
But, despite all of this, Bayash' true happiness is found elsewhere. Bayash's only wish as a cricket player was to meet Sachin Tendulkar once in his life, chat with him, and seek his blessings.
The coach said that when he was a youngster, he had only one ambition: to meet and welcome Tendulkar. He is even happier that his pupil has met him and is following Tendulkar’s advice.