India’s squad for the ICC U19 World Cup 2020 has been announced and Uttar Pradesh’s young boy Priyam Garg has been named the captain of the India U19 team for the most prestigious white-ball tournament. Priyam Garg is a very exciting young cricketer and after the announcement, Indian cricket fans are very excited to see him and know more about him.
Growing up in a small town near Meerut, in a family of seven, chasing his dreams and following his passion for the game of cricket was never easy for Priyam Garg. Priyam used to travel 40km every day from his residence in Quila Parikshitgarh to attend training and now after he has been named the captain of India’s U19 team for the ICC U19 World Cup, it proves that every step of that 40 kilometers journey was a step in the right direction.
Priyam Garg’s journey has just started but in his first big chance, the young Meerut boy has a chance to make history. When India’s U19 team will take the field in ICC U19 World Cup 2020 in South Africa, Priyam Garg would have the same responsibility that was once carried by the likes of Virat Kohli (2008), Mohd Kaif (2000), Prithvi Shaw (2018) and many other big stars who went on all to play for the senior national team.
“Nothing less than winning the fifth World Cup for India is my target. We have been four-time champions and I would like to follow the footsteps of what my seniors did at the previous editions, including the last one where we were champions,” he said in an interview. “It’s a big responsibility as we would be carrying the hopes of millions of people.”
Let’s have a look at some of the lesser-known facts about India’s newly appointed U19 captain Priyam Garg.
1) Priyam Garg was born on 30th November (2000), in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. Priyam’s father Mr. Naresh Garg drives a school van. I have one elder brother and three sisters. His mother passed away in 2011 and it was her dream to see him playing for India.
2) Priyam Garg is known for his hunger for runs and he is someone who can convert starts in hundreds and hundreds into ‘daddy’ hundreds and double hundreds. During the 2014/15 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he scored 202 and 200. And followed it up by scoring an unbeaten 223 against Haryana U19s in the 2015/16 Cooch Behar Trophy. He also scored a brilliant double-hundred against Delhi Under-19s in the next season.
3) Priyam Garg made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 17 years and 336 days, and scored an eye-catching hundred against Goa, in his debut Ranji Trophy innings. He also became the second-youngest player ton score a hundred on Ranji Trophy debut.
4) Priyam Garg has a very good captaincy record in India U19 cricket. He has led India in 8 matches so far and managed to lead India to victory in 6 of them.
5) Priyam credits former India captain and India’s U19 coach Mr. Rahul Dravid for his hunger for runs.
“Rahul Dravid Sir taught me how to keep my hunger for runs growing and that’s why I always look to score 200-plus runs. I admire the patience of Cheteshwar Pujara. When he was batting against UP in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final last season, I had a close look at his technique, especially his calmness in shot selection,” Priyam Garg was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
6) Priyam Garg also acknowledges Suresh Raina’s influence in his career.
“Spending time with him and getting to know about him, his life – he spoke about getting a duck on [ODI] debut and what he was feeling at that time – has been really good. I’m thankful to him. His jujhaarupan (drive to keep fighting) is something I’ve learned a lot from. If you want something, you have to have that commitment,” he added.
