Film director Vidhu Vinod Chopra's son Agni Dev has been in terrific form in the Ranji Trophy plate group. Agni has hit 5 hundreds in the last four first-class matches and has been ruling the plate group with scintillating performances.
The 25-year-old is the first cricketer to score hundreds in each of his first four first-class matches. In fact, Agni has five centuries to his name now in the Ranji Trophy as two hundreds came in the same game against Meghalaya just a few days ago.
Agni used to play for Mumbai in age-group cricket but moved to Mizoram in the hope to make his First-Class and List-A debut. His white-ball debut for Mizoram came against Chandigarh in November 2023 and his First-Class debut against Sikkim in January 2024. He got picked for Mizoram after clearing a trial at the National Cricket Academy.
“In July, the Mizoram had trials at the National Cricket Academy. I went for the trial and I was lucky enough to be picked. It was tough to leave my city but this was the best opportunity to play in the List A and first-class cricket,” Agni told Indian Express.
Agni Dev Chopra also spoke about not going into movies given his father Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a huge name in Bollywood and recently delivered the mega-hit 12th Fail which won the Best Film award at the Filmfare Awards 2024.
“I have been asked this question since childhood that will you go into movies, but I never thought I would ever be in movies. I never thought that oh, I should get in because my dad makes movies, and it would be an easy avenue for me. I was never interested in movies. I mean, I love watching movies and have a great time, but it was never my passion,” Agni Dev Chopra, son of filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, told PTI.
He played for Mumbai U-19 and U-23 teams and was the team’s highest run-getter in the 2019-20 CK Nayudu Trophy where he amassed 760 runs including a double ton. But he found it tough to break into the Mumbai FC side and his coach Khuspreet Singh suggested he to play for some other team.
“Coming here in Mizoram, everyone has been very welcoming and included me and there are two more pros — KC bhai (KC Cariappa) and Mohit Jangra. They are inclusive and welcoming and I never felt like an outsider. I have been taught a few Mizo words and phrases and I don’t feel in a vastly different place,” he said.
Agni had a 150 strike rate in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, however, he has yet to sign with an IPL team. On the other hand, he is unconcerned and intends to enter the lucrative T20 league on his own merit, rather than with the assistance of his influential parents.
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“For me, I always want to be picked for anything based on my pedigree, it shouldn't be because of anything else. I don't think my dad would ever pick up the phone and call someone just because I told him to and I have to be good enough so that they are calling my dad, rather than my dad calling them and the day I am good enough I will be picked. If I am not picked, I am not good enough right now. My goal is to play IPL as a stepping stone and then to play for India,” he said about his IPL chances.
He also revealed the best advice received from his father Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
“My dad told me and my sister when we were younger what his father told him: “Agar tumhe sadaak par mochi (cobbler) banna hai, apne sadaak ka best mochi banna. (If you become a cobbler, be the best in your lane). He gave us the freedom to do what we wanted but told us to try to be the absolute best. Talent can only take you that far as the rest depends on work you do and I saw that in his movies and the amount of work he put and my mother (noted film critic Anupama) in her profession, and that rubbed off on me,” he said.
(PTI/Indian Express inputs)
