India’s U-19 cricket team has performed exceptionally well in the ongoing Youth World Cup in South Africa. The Boys in Blue have qualified for the final without losing a match in the marquee event.
One of the key players in India’s stellar campaign is left-arm pacer Naman Tiwari, who has taken 10 wickets from five matches so far.
Ahead of the tournament final against Australia on Sunday (February 10), Tiwari hailed Jasprit Bumrah as a source of inspiration for him and opened up on the conversations he had with the senior India pacer during their time at the NCA.
Speaking to PTI, Naman revealed that he has met Bumrah a few times and has received a lot of advice from the latter.
The 18-year-old further stated that Bumrah has given him tips on how to bowl effective yorkers and he has been working on that aspect.
"Bumrah is a source of inspiration for us. I watch his bowling videos a lot. I have met him several times at NCA and talked to him a lot about the mentality and skills of a bowler. He has explained a lot (of things to me), which is useful. He told me how to bowl accurate yorkers, and I have worked a lot (on that aspect) following his advice. I have to work hard to bring more aggression in this (my bowling)," Tiwari said.
The young pacer also added that he tries to learn a lot by watching Bumrah's videos.
"I try to learn something from every bowler I like. I try to understand and learn by watching his (Bumrah's) videos. I like Shoaib Akhtar's speed, Dale Steyn's swing and Mitchell Starc's aggression very much."
Naman Tiwari admitted that he wanted to become a batter but fewer opportunities turned him to bowling.
"I started playing cricket as a batsman but I was not getting many chances. That's why I started bowling at an academy in Lucknow...I became a left-arm fast bowler," he said.
Coming from a middle-class family, the pressure to focus on studies was immense on Naman but his heart was in cricket.
"Papa always told me to focus on studies. I was in seventh standard and wanted to play cricket. I asked my father to give me three years' time to prove myself in cricket. My family is very happy with my success today. Papa calls me every evening. Seeing them (family) happy makes me feel very good that I did not disappoint them," he said.
Naman aspires to deliver the fastest bowl ever and also expressed his desire to play the World Cup for the senior Indian team.
"One day I want to bowl the fastest ball in the world. I also want to play the World Cup with the senior team. But, for now, I have to focus on performance. I want to continuously improve my game because the challenges will be even bigger in the future and I will have to prepare my base to face them," he said.
Naman Tiwari attributed the success of the Indian team in the ongoing U-19 World Cup to the collective effort.
"So far, the performance of all the players has been very good. Especially in the semifinals against South Africa, we showed tremendous spirit. I am very happy with the way we are playing and will try to maintain this momentum in the final also," he said. "Although I like all formats, I find Test cricket the most challenging. That's where the real test of a bowler lies and I want to become a good Test cricketer in the future," he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)
