The morning of 27th August was indeed special for the 18-year-old boy from Sukantapally, Durgapur, a small town about 174 kilometres from Kolkata. To play matches in Kolkata maidan, he used to travel by train the night before, to prevent the journey from taking a toll on his performance. He used to travel with his mother on the train and, in his words, it was indeed tough for his mother too.
All the hard work and sacrifices paid off when he got a call from Saurashish Lahiri, the former Bengal cricketer, who was Abhiprai’s coach in his first under-19 outing for Bengal. That call conveyed the selection news to the prodigy and his social media was flooded with congratulatory messages and posts.
Abhiprai Biswas, a short-statured small-town boy, got selected in the India Under-19 squad for the multi-day games against Australia. By nature, a very humble and gregarious guy, he became inarticulate in expressing his emotions. He was mid-session at practice when he got the call, and he immediately informed his family and resumed the cricket drills.
He has zeroed in on honing his skills before joining the team and getting guidance from the coaches in the national set-up.
Abhiprai was very vocal about his first under-19 coach Saurashish Lahiri’s contribution. Gratitude oozed in his voice as he said: “Saurashish sir has backed me both in my first and second year in the under-19 set-up,” he said in a chat with The Crichub.
Abhiprai notched up a fine hundred against Mumbai in a Coochbehar Trophy game a couple of years back. But when he was promoted to open the innings against Chhattisgarh last year, he played a fine knock of 60 runs. In his words, he generally bats at number 5 or 6, but the 60-run knock showed his versatility. One of his strengths is his ability to run between the wickets.
His ability to swivel quickly and take an extra run has helped him to keep the scoreboard ticking. Abhiprai says, “Since childhood, I have tried to take a few extra singles to rotate the strike. That actually reduces the pressure and prevents me from playing false shots. So I try to create singles as much as I can,” he said.
Abhiprai met CAB President Sourav Ganguly, the stalwart of Indian cricket, on Monday (August 31), and he shared crucial insights with him. An overwhelmed Abhiprai says, “It was a special interaction. This is the first time I have seen him this closely. We discussed the venue, the match start date and everything,” he said.
Ganguly also gifted him a couple of cricket bats.
Growing up, Abhiprai, the keeper-batter, idolised Wriddhiman Saha, who has set a standard for himself with his keeping skills. Abhiprai interacted with Saha for the first time in the Bengal Premier League. Abhiprai says, “Whenever there is a need for guidance, or whenever there is any problem, he (Saha) always gives tips to work on them.”
In the Yashvardhan Chauhan-led Indian team, Abhiprai is one of two keepers alongside Manav Krishna. Soon, he will link up with Lakshya Raichandani, Sagar Virk, Manal Chauhan, Kushagra Ojha, Pranav Raghavendra, and other teammates. For someone who has already made his mark in Bengal cricket, it is a great opportunity to make it bigger. Hopes are there, promise is there, and now it is all about cashing in on the opportunity.
Abhiprai will be waiting eagerly to grab it with both hands.
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