New Delhi: Former India fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh senior’s son Harry Singh has been selected for the England Under-19 team for their upcoming home series against Sri Lanka Under-19.
RP senior, who hailed from Lucknow and played two ODIs in 1986 against Australia, moved to England in the late 1990s. He took up coaching roles with the Lancashire county club and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“A few days ago, we got a call from the ECB that Harry has been picked for the England U-19 team which will play the Sri Lanka U-19 team at home,” Singh told The Indian Express.
Notably, several South Asian, including Indian-origin players, have represented England’s junior sides but Singh is well aware of the challenges his son will face as he seeks to transition to the top level.
His son Harry opens the batting for the Lancashire 2nd XI.
“It’s not easy, you need a bit of luck and lots of runs to make it at the top level. I have seen many cricketers in the 90s who used to do well in domestic cricket but they failed drastically when they represented the Indian team. As Harry grows, he will have to make those technical adjustments which every cricketer does,” RP Singh further said.
Harry began playing cricket at the age of eight. He was good at football too but as he grew up, his interest in cricket kept increasing. It was then that the family decided that its lone son would play cricket under his father’s coaching.
“He used to bowl fast but I know that fast bowling and opening the batting can take a lot of tolls. So I decided to let him continue to bat and now he bowls off-spin too. It’s still a long journey but he has taken a small step in his career,” Singh said.
Moving forward, his coach has decided to send Harry to Dilip Vengsarkar Academy in Mumbai, where he will train under the guidance of the former India captain. As per Singh, the idea is to make Harry an all-around cricketer who can play on all kinds of surfaces.
“He has to learn those tricks of batting and he can only do that once he travels to India,” Singh said.
IANS
