Chennai: Left-arm spinner Saumy Kumar Pandey, who is among the highest wicket takers in the current Under-19 World Cup (Under-19 World Cup 2024), considers veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as his idol. Soumya’s bowling action is also very similar to Jadeja.
This bowler from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh has taken 16 wickets in five matches before the Under-19 World Cup semi-final match. His best performance during this period has been four wickets for 19 runs. Soumya’s childhood coach Aril Anthony told PTI, “Jadeja has been his inspiration. He is very impressed with Jadeja’s body language and passion while fielding.”
Anthony said that Soumya is also very talented in studies. He has passed 12th class with good marks. The coach said, “He started playing cricket at the age of seven or eight when he was physically very weak. Doctors had advised him to do some physical activity to boost his immunity.”
Anthony said, “Soumya’s father told me that he was very interested in cricket since childhood and he was able to hold the bat at the age of three or four.” “He is also a brilliant child in studies,” he said. He had secured around 93 percent marks in higher secondary. His parents wanted him to become an engineer or a doctor, but they were mesmerized after seeing him bowling under my guidance.”
The coach told that both of Soumya’s parents are teachers in government schools. Soumya understands things quickly and applies them in his game. He told that some franchise teams of the Indian Premier League have talked to Soumya but they have advised the player to take his steps forward slowly.
Anthony said, “He has started getting calls related to IPL. It will depend on how he performs in the next domestic season. If he performs well and confidently tells me about going to the IPL, I will allow him to go ahead. But I can’t predict whether there will be a big bid for him. It will depend on his domestic performance.”