- Indian U-19 skipper Priyam Garg is expected to be one of the popular under-19 players at the 2020 IPL auction.
- The batsman is slotted in Lot 6 and will come up at the 36th spot in the auction.
- His base price has been slotted at Rs 20 lakh.
There was a time in his childhood when Priyam Garg feared facing the leather ball. Today, he’s the captain of the Indian under-19 cricket team. If that showcases an iota of his determination, it will be put to test at the upcoming U-19 World Cup yet again when he will expected to follow the likes of Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand and Prithvi Shaw.
India, four-time winners of the U-19 World Cup, are the most successful team at the tournament, and will want to defend the title in South Africa next year. And a lot will depend on Garg, who has made a mark for himself in the domestic circuit playing for Uttar Pradesh.
Having made his first-class debut in November last year, Garg notched up more than 800 runs in his debut Ranji season, including a double hundred. He then struck a fine half-century in the Duleep Trophy as well representing India Green. But his strike rate of 132.74 in 11 T20s so far is perhaps what’s going to help him bag a hefty tag at the upcoming IPL auctions.
A fan of Sachin Tendulkar, Garg was known to skip school and watch the game at television sets installed in local shops — something that also earned him his father’s ire on being caught.
According to reports, the right-handed batsman still thinks of the batting maestro before stepping out in the middle. Having lost his mother early and his father having to sell tea to make ends meet, Garg never had it easy.
On the field as well, Garg had initially started out as a bowler. Now, he rarely rolls his arm over. It was owing to his childhood coaches Ashwani Sharma and Sanjay Rastogi who guided him to change the focus on his bowling. It will be interesting to see how much the franchisees are willing to dish out on the teenager.
Tough Beginnings
Hailing from village Quila Parikshitgarh, about 25km from Meerut, Priyam picked up a bat and ball at the tender age of six.
“My father Naresh Garg drives a school van. He does most of the hard work, he did all the odd jobs that you can imagine… selling milk, driving school vans, loading goods, he ensured that I got a good life. He went through all that just to see me become a cricketer one day. He took me to Meerut and made sure that I got into a decent academy,” Garg told The Indian Express.
Priyam suffered a personal setback when he lost his mother at the age of 11.
“My mother died in 2011 and it was her dream that I play cricket for India and now that I’m the captain of the under-19 team she is not here to see it. I regret that the most.”
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