Abhigyan Kundu (ACC photo) MUMBAI: He is yet to play a match for the senior team in Mumbai, but 17-year-old Navi Mumbai boy Abhigyan Kundu has already turned heads with his performances for the India Under-19 team. In May, Kundu was named vice-captain of the Indian Under-19 team for the tour of England, with Mumbai’s Ayush Mhatre as the captain.
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During the tour, the talented young wicketkeeper scored a 34-ball 45 to help India beat England by six wickets in the first youth ODI. He then hit a 95-ball 90 in the first Youth Test against England at Beckenham and 65 off just 46 balls in the second Test at Chelmsford to help India claim a fighting draw. In September, Kundu helped India sweep Australia 3–0 in the Youth ODI series in Brisbane, scoring 158 runs in two matches at an average of 158.00 and a strike rate of 114.49, with scores of 87 off 74 balls and 71 off 64 balls. His total would have been higher, but he was rested for the third and final game of the series. In November, Kundu was named “Player of the Series” after scoring two centuries in the Under-19 Challengers Trophy in Lucknow. Those who saw the kunda bat noticed shades of former India and Mumbai batsman Vinod Kambli in his batting style. Like Kambli, who was a stylish left-hander and played 17 Tests and 104 ODIs for India, Kundu is a southpaw. During the recent U-19 Asia Cup in Dubai, Kundu smashed a record double century (209 not out off 125 balls, including nine sixes and 17 fours) against Malaysia. The talented teenager thus became the first Indian and only the second player in the world to score a double century in Youth ODIs. However, Kundu would like to do better in the other games of the tournament – scoring 32 not out, 22 and 13 in the final against Pakistan. Abhigyan’s father Abhishek Kundu, beaming with pride after his son shot into the limelight with this double hundred, told TOI on Tuesday, “We were very happy. It was a great moment for all of us. We were expecting such a performance from him for a long time. He has scored 125 sets so far, which includes tons in Harris Shield, MCI century and Giles the Giles and Giles tournaments. Harris Shield and for the Mumbai under-16 team against Uttar Pradesh in Vijay Merchant Trophy. The teenage batsman will be in the limelight during the upcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia. After a three-match one-day tour of South Africa, India will begin their U19 World Cup campaign on January 15 against the USA in Harare. “It’s our family’s proudest moment. We are all very happy that he is playing for this country (at the India Under-19 level). It is definitely a big moment for him as he has trained hard and now he is getting a chance to represent his country at the Under-19 level and fulfill his dream,” Abhishek said. Kundu is preparing for the tournament according to a strict schedule given to him by the BCCI, which he has to follow on and off the field. Abhishek revealed that Abhigyan started his cricket journey at the age of five and added, “He used to play well down. We signed him up for professional coaching under Chetan Jadhav, whose coaching center is near our house in Vashi, when he was just five. Jadhav told us that he has potential and we need to put in more effort for him. We got him some concessions at Navipark School, Mary Sthaira. Mumbai) regarding his attendance so that he could spend more time coaching under Jadhav. Abhigyan’s intense practice routine often involved facing up to 5,000 balls a day. With an eye on playing competitive cricket at the junior level, Abhigyan moved to Anjuman Islam School, which traditionally has a strong cricket team. “The reason we moved to Anjuman Islam was because this school actively participates in major inter-school tournaments in Mumbai. Both his schools played a supportive role in his cricketing journey,” said Abhishek. “We don’t have a cricketing background. I’m an engineer and I work for TCS, so it was a bit of a tough decision for us to allow him to pursue a professional sports career. But when he took to the game and started showing dedication and commitment, training everyday without any problems, we were confident that Abhigyan could make a career in cricket,” said Abhishek. Growing up, inspired by his childhood coach Chetan Jadhav, who was also a wicket keeper, Abhigyan took a liking to the wicket gloves. Like many young Indian cricketers, he drew inspiration from the legends of the game. “He watched a lot of MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. He met Tendulkar briefly during a coaching session in Navi Mumbai,” concluded father Abhishek.
