Young Indian batsman –Manjot Karla has been all over the social media and continuing to grab eyeballs since hitting a mind-blowing ton against Australia in the ICC U19 World Cup final to help India to lift the crown for the record fourth time in New Zealand last week.
Recently, the 19-year-old right-hander drew praise from Delhi’s renowned cricketer likes of Virender Sehwag, former India U19 coach W. V. R. Raman, Suresh Batra and Gursharan Singh for his outstanding show in the prestigious ICC tournament and his exceptional progress as a batsman.
According to a report in Sport Star, Sehwag said, “I have been saying that Delhi has some awesome talent and Manjot is one to be watched closely. I just loved his batting (in the U19 World Cup final) and am convinced he can be fast-tracked to the state team. He has the temperament and skills to go far in this game. He has the strokes to keep the fielders busy. He can be a devastating batsman.”
While Raman, who was with national Team during their England tour in 2017, where Kalra hit a century in a Test at Chesterfield, said of the young batsman, “He likes to get on with the game. He can also hit big. He likes to dominate the bowlers. At that age they are confident and play their shots with lot of positive intent. Manjot always looks for thrills and excitement when batting. I am not surprised with his success at all because he knows how to mix caution with aggression. We saw that in the final.”
Meanwhile, Kalra’s long-time coach Suresh Batra stated, “He is very dedicated and can take on any pressure. His hand-eye coordination is exemplary.”
Former Indian batsman and a renowned coach in Delhi –Gursharan Singh, also lauded Manjot for his technical batting even at in this young age. He signed off by saying, “I have seen at some Zonal Cricket Academy camps and found him disciplined in his work. His footwork is very decisive and timing top class. The ball hits the sweet part of the bat most consistently. Because of his ability to cut the ball hard, we had nicknamed him Mathew Hayden at our camps. He must improve his defense though.”
