No square-cuts please

Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy captain Omkar Sankalp makes it a point not to play the aerial shot

Suhrid Barua, Pune Mirror, February 16, 2009

A youngster is strictly told by coaches to curb himself playing the aerial shots. But Omkar Sankalp makes a conscious effort on his own to avoid playing one shot - the square-cut shot. The youngster, who bats at one-drop for Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy and opens the bowling for his side besides being the captain of the side, has been a phenomenal success in the Thakurdas Wadhwani Memorial Un-der-14 Cricket Trophy just-concluded Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy grounds. Omkar amassed 170 runs with the willow and captured a superb haul off 22 wicket, including two five-wicket hauls to cap off a fine tournament and deservedly got the Man of the Series award.The maturity of the the 12-year-old youngster can be gauged in the man-ner in which he shoulders arms to short deliveries pitched outside the off-stump. "Omkar is a very disciplined cricketer. Ever since he joined the Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy in September, 2008, he has emerged as one of the exciting youngsters with loads of positive energy and I've never seen him play the square-cut shot," revealed Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy coach Mohan Jadhav, who seen this talented lad very closely.
Jadhav feels the good thing about Omkar is that he knows his off-stump very well. "Opposition bowlers try to entice Omkar to play the cut shot up-pishly but he's smart enough not to get laid in any kind of trap," Jadhav observed.
The Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Acad-emy coach, who is also professional painter, says Omkar knows the impor-tance of keeping a price tag on his wicket. "It's an absolute joy to see Omkar bat. He likes to play in the 'V' and also because he is strong with his flick strokes, he doesn't need to risk playing the square-cut," Jadhav explains.
Ask the boy in question and you know what his coach is talking about. "I make a honest effort not to play the square-cut shot. Not that my coaches at Varroc Vengsarkar Cricket Academy have to repeatedly tell me this, I want to make sure I don't end up giving my wicket playing that shot," Omkar sings a mature tune.