Chirag Suri, 'Virat Kohli of UAE' speaks on cricket, IPL and much more

Chirag Suri has played 4 ODI matches for his country.

Chirag Suri | Source Youtube

Chirag Suri is a right-hand batsman who represents UAE in International cricket. Earlier the cricketer stole all the limelight after he became the first UAE cricketer to be drafted in the Indian Premier League. In IPL 2017, he was picked by Gujarat Lions at a cost of Rs 10 Lakhs. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Chirag Suri opened up on his cricketing journey till now and how is the cricketing atmosphere in UAE.

Speaking about him being the first UAE player to be picked in the Indian Premier League the cricketer answered, "It obviously is a huge achievement for me. It always feels really good when you get the opportunity to play in the worlds biggest league. It was something very special for me and my family who have worked so hard on me". 

On talking about his IPL teammates and how their presence helped him to develop as a cricketer, he said "Well, once you're around with such people, you learn so much just by watching them. I got the opportunities to speak to them as well and learnt not only about on the field stuff but also how these guys carry themselves off the field".

Chirag Suri also had his thoughts on the second T-10 cricket league and how can the tournament uplift UAE cricket in the coming years. He stated "Yes, the T-10 tournament is a great opportunity for everyone in the UAE to showcase their skills especially all the local talent. UAE has also launched its T-20 league so it’s a great opportunity to mix with the big stars and learn from them". 

Though UAE cricket had a poor run in the World Cup qualifiers, they were able to stop Zimbabwe and Netherlands from qualifying as well. On being asked about how he would analyze his teams' performance in World Cup qualifiers, he added  "I think we went with a goal to be the number 1 ranked associate team and we nearly managed to do that. It was only Scotland who finished higher than us and we were able to retain our status. So, it was a successful campaign for us".

Chirag is often spoken on level terms with Virat Kohli in UAE. Opining on the same he stated "Obviously it feels good to be linked with Virat. These comments also come with some added pressure in the domestic circuit but I need to work much harder to come close to what he has achieved".

Chirag Suri even shared his views on the developing atmosphere of United Arab Emirates with how good place is UAE for a cricketer to play cricket and pursue his training, Chirag added "UAE has some of the best cricketing facilities in the world. We play cricket 12 months a year. Cricket is definitely booming, in fact, the sport is growing in the country and it’s good to see more and more youngsters taking up the sport. Moreover, I have taken an initiative as well to develop youngsters with my own coaching academy namely 'Front Foot Sports' in my old school Repton, Dubai".

 
 

By Kunal Kataria - 19 Jun, 2018

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