Suryakumar Yadav and Natthakan Chantham NEW DELHI: Thai cricketer Natthakan Chantham suffered a flurry of bruises, all while trying to master Suryakumar Yadav’s signature ‘Supla shot’ – going down on one knee to scoop the ball over fine leg or square leg – during a game at the nets.During training, Chantham was hit repeatedly while trying to shoot. She gets hit, gets treatment from a physical therapist, gets back on her feet, and goes right back to hitting practice, determined to perfect it.As the saying goes, practice makes perfect and Chantham’s dogged determination reflects her desire to execute the Supla shot with the same finesse and fearlessness as her idol Suryakumar.Nicknamed ‘Jeans’ by her teammates, Chantham is expected to showcase a wide range of innovative strokes – including her favorite Surya-inspired shot – at the upcoming ACC Rising Stars Women’s Asia Cup 2026, which starts in Bangkok on Friday. Thailand begin their campaign against Malaysia on Saturday. Apart from Thailand and Malaysia, India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are participating in the tournament. India, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and Nepal have been placed in Group A while Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand.The defending champions are India, who lifted the inaugural title in 2023 after defeating Bangladesh in the final.“I am 100 percent ready for the Asia Cup as I have been waiting for a big tournament like this. Our team is well prepared and ready to go,” Chantham said in an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com.“I admire Suryakumar Yadav. He’s a fearless batsman. I love the strokes he plays through square leg and fine leg – those are my favourites. He plays with such freedom and no pressure; you can’t see any fear in his eyes. I’m an attacking batsman too. I like to get out of the crease and get into the game and I also don’t like to be pressured by Bren. Gadon McClum. Boy, I’ve always tried to imitate Suryakumar Yadav, I got hit many times, sometimes I bled too while trying to perfect the shot, but I never gave up,” she said.“I really want to meet Surya someday. If I meet him, I will only say one thing – ‘please give me your bat’ (laughs),” added the batsman. Chantham started playing cricket at the age of nine. Her father, a teacher, initially encouraged her to focus on academics, but later supported her wholeheartedly after recognizing her passion for the sport.“I fell in love with cricket by accident. I used to hit the ball with a plastic bat. Later my father gave me a wooden bat and helped me practice. He is a teacher but his role in my career was huge. My mother runs a beauty salon. I just want to win there and win this tournament for both of us,” said Chantham.Chantham has played 14 ODIs and 114 T20Is in her career so far.Watch Rising Stars of the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup on the Sony Sports Network
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