Silchar boy Rahul Singh on sharing podium with Virat Kohli at BCCI awards: I am excited but my dream is to share the cricket field with him

“Don’t stop chasing your dreams because dreams do come true,” this famous quote of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has shown relevance in Barak Valley. The Board for Control of Cricket in India’s (BCCI) annual award ceremony ‘Naman’ will see Rahul Singh lifting MA Chidambaram award for highest wicket taker in under 19 level. Ithkola born left arm orthodox (spin) bowler Rahul Singh took 54 wickets in eight matches in Cooch Behar under-19 inter-state trophy, which yielded him a berth in the senior State team too. This is the same award ceremony where Virat Kohli will receive Polly Umrigar Award for the fourth time, for his excellent performance in test cricket in 2016-17 season.

Barakbulletin.com got in touch with the 20-year-old cricketer and here is what he had to say on his achievements so far and plans ahead…

Edited Excerpts:

 You are going to get a BCCI award, how does it feel?

It feels great; it feels like all my hard work has paid off and I am getting a recognition now. This is a big achievement for me and will certainly motivate me to work harder to achieve bigger goals.

When did you start playing cricket; what got you to the game?

 My cricket journey started with inter-school tournament, Baidyanath Trophy. I was just 14-year-old and playing for my school. I was playing a pace bowler back then but after failing in the first match as pace bowler, my coach Satyajit sir asked me to bowl spin. Immediately after that I witnessed a change in my performance, I started picking up wickets and bowling economical spells. After the tournament, my sister got me enrolled in a cricket academy in District Sports Association (DSA) and since then I am training professionally.

What was your first impression of professional coaching?

 At DSA, Silchar, my batch was trained and guided by Vishal Tiwari (former cricketer). Vishal bhaiya nurtured me very well in the initial stages, he taught me various bowling tactics, which helps me even today. The more I spent time in the cricket field, the more I wanted to play cricket.

How did you start playing professional matches?

After training for a while, I played second division cricket for Town Boys Club, my performance was good and the following year I played first division from Itkhola club. After that I got to play under 19 inter district for Cachar and in the tournament I picked up 33 wickets in four matches, and that got me selection in under-19 state team.

Yes, you booked a berth in the state team and made your debut against Delhi at Feroz Shah Kotla, how was the first Ranji Trophy encounter?

 Being my first at a first-class match, I was very nervous. I had just graduated from under-19 and the batsman playing against us had immense experience. Gautam Gambhir was playing for Delhi and he scored a century, Unmukt Chand was there, Nitish Rana had also scored a century against us. It was not an ideal debut for me, but I got to learn a lot from my first match and it gave me a confidence that even I can perform well in senior level. I took one wicket in the match, and that was of Ishant Sharma, if I remember correctly.

You got dropped after the second match and then made a comeback against Hyderabad in Guwahati, and you were on a roll…

In under-19 you can get away with mistake, but at Ranji trophy level you are punished every time you bowl a bad delivery. As I mentioned earlier, the first match against Delhi was a learning experience. After I was dropped from the senior team I went and player under-23 and performed well in that level. Coach Lalchand Rajput sir and management recalled me in the team and gave me a second chance. I wanted to do well as it was a very important match and in the first innings I picked up three wickets and Hyderabad captain Ambati Raydu was one of them. From there, I went to Maharashtra and played against them in Pune, where I picked up four wickets in one innings. Overall it was a great Ranji trophy for me. This year, my aim is to perform more consistently so that I can play regularly.

What do you feel about cricket infrastructure and coaching facilities in Barak Valley? 

The coaching facilities are very good in Silchar now and the players are also very committed. If you see there are four players from Silchar playing Ranji Trophy cricket for Assam; Rajdeep bhaiya (Das), Pritam bhaiya (Das), Abhishek Thakuria and me. Earlier, it used to be one player, then it became two, now it’s four, I am sure going forward, we will have more players from Silchar playing Ranji Trophy and higher level cricket.

How long do you practice everyday?

I make it a point to practice for 4-5 hours everyday in the morning. In the evening, I work on my bowling in the nets. Whenever I am in Silchar, I practice at DSA and when in Guwahati, I train at Barsapara  International Stadium. I am working hard on my fitness also as that helps you improve your fielding and overall performance.

Which Indian cricketer do you consider as your role model?

I follow Ravindra Jadeja, and he is my role model. I have been following his attitude since the time he made his international debut. I enjoy watching how he is so quick in the field, his bowling style, his batting… everything. He is an inspiration to me.

You are getting an award in a ceremony, which will be attended by the captain Virat Kohli too, how does it feel?

He is one of the greatest cricketer of all time and the captain of Indian national cricket team. I am excited of the fact that I will share the same room with him and walk up the same stage which he would and that’s really great. But, my dream is to share the cricket field and play alongside him. I will do my best; work as hard as I can and hopefully someday my dream will come true.