Priyam Garg, a prodigy, a sensation: All you need to know about India Under 19 captain

When he was 15-years old a young boy stood tall to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, reached his full height and brought out the full face of the bat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was an India bowler, he had pace and he had swing, but then, his ball was met on the front foot outside the popping crease. This young boy was Priyam Garg who is now all set to lead India in the Under-19 World Cup.

The young man was always addicted to cricket and he wanted to lap it all. However, his father could not afford a television and as per a ESPNCricinfo report, his father Naresh managed to establish a small business. He sold milk, delivered newspapers and ferried children to and from school in a mini-van.

“We couldn’t afford a television at home, so I used to skip studies to watch Sachin Tendulkar at a nearby ‘paanwala’ shop. That was a routine and I faced my father’s ire on a number of occasions. For him, cricket was not a priority,” Garg told Hindustan Times.

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Priyam was a prodigy, but an injury prevented him from being selected in India’s Under-19 squad back in 2018. However, he was prolific, and he kept peeling off runs. He was eventually roped into Uttar Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy squad after his run of scores at the KSCA Invitational tournament in Bengaluru in 2018.

This was an investment and it yielded dividends almost immediately. At the end of this first Ranji season, Garg had accumulated 814 runs in ten matches at an average of 67.83. He showed the propensity to dominate attacks, as well as, grind it out there when the pressure was amped.

What do his numbers say:

In 12 first-class matches so far, Garg has 867 runs at an average of 66.69, with two centuries, and a best of 206. In List A cricket, he has scored 539 runs at 41.46 with one hundred.

He has already caught the eye of Rahul Dravid, he caught the eye of Suresh Raina and now, he has a handsome IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He reserved his best for the most opportune time - he smashed a 77-ball 74 in the Deodhar Trophy final on a slow pitch where his side was reduced to 77 for 5.

He will now lead India in the Under 19 World Cup and like always, will hog all the headlines. However, he has honed his craft in the grind of domestic circuit, he has fought it out, stumbled and got back up when no one was watching- the next one month, when the cameras will be fixed on him, he could very well script another new chapter in Indian cricket history.