U-19 World Cup 2022: Who is Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Indian-origin ambidextrous spinner in Australia's squad?
Nivethan Radhakrishnan was on Tuesday (December 14) named in Australia's 15-member squad for the ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup 2022, slated to begin in the Caribbean on January 14.
FollowAfter Rachin Ravindra, yet another Indian-origin cricketer has hit the headlines - this time in Australia. Nivethan Radhakrishnan was on Tuesday (December 14) named in Australia's 15-member squad for the ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup 2022, slated to begin in the Caribbean on January 14. What's unique about Nivethan is that he is an ambidextrous spinner, the only kind in the nation's junior circuit. Interestingly, he was also a Delhi Capitals net bowler during the first leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.
19-year-old Nivethan Radhakrishnan's family migrated to Sydney, Australia, from Tamil Nadu in 2013. The ambidextrous spinner was offered a contract by both New South Wales and Tasmania this season, but he chose to join the latter. Radhakrishnan, who has represented Australia at the U-16 level also, has rubbed shoulders with the likes of former Australian skippers Ricky Ponting and Steve Smith, among several top Indian cricketers during his brief IPL stint in the nets. In 2019, during Australia's U-16 Dubai tour, Radhakrishnan finished as the team's leading wicket-taker in ODIs with seven wickets from 4 games. He also added value with the bat by scoring 145 runs in four innings.
In 2019, Radhakrishnan made the Australia U-16 team for the Dubai tour, where he finished as their leading wicket-taker in one-day matches, taking seven wickets in four games. He also scored 145 runs in four innings.
So how did Nivethan Radhakrishnan become an ambidextrous spinner? Credit goes to his father, who encouraged the 19-year-old to try bowling finger spin with both hands. In an earlier interview with ESPNCricinfo, he revealed that his father, Anbu Selvan, who was himself a former Tamil Nadu junior cricketer, came up with this suggestion during a water break.
Narrating the conversation, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, who is naturally right-handed, added that his father suggested, "Why don't you start bowling with the left hand? No one does it; we hadn't seen anyone on TV do it when I was six in 2008. There was no one bowling with both hands on TV or in league cricket in Chennai. No one had heard of it back then."
In response, Nivethan Radhakrishnan said, "Well, why not?" adding that he didn't fear failure, and it did not matter to him what people thought. Hence, the sky was the limit for Radhakrishnan. However, what's interesting is that before becoming a spinner, Radhakrishnan was a fast bowler in Chennai. After moving to Australia and upon seeing kids who were 3-4 years younger with better height and built, Radhakrishnan chose to become an ambidextrous spinner hoping to play for the country someday.Â
"If I was an aspiring fast bowler of Indian origin, I probably came to the wrong country. The kids three or four years younger than me here are six feet, so I can't really compete bowling little leg-cutters on these decks and will probably get whacked," Radhakrishnan had said.
17-year-old Indian-origin Harkirat Bajwa also part of Australia's U-19 WC squad
Australia's squad for the U-19 World Cup 2022 also includes another Indian-origin cricketer, Harkirat Bajwa. The 17-year-old will be hoping to replicate Cooper Connolly, having been selected as an underage player who will still be eligible to play in the 2024 tournament. Australia will face hosts West Indies, Scotland and Sri Lanka in the group stages of the tournament. Coached Anthony Clark said that the current squad includes players across disciplines with domestic experience, and many have produced stellar performances across competitions this season.
"The Under-19 WC provides players with an exceptional development opportunity, and we look forward to seeing them represent their country with distinction," Clark added.
Australia has not bagged the ICC Men's U-19 WC since 2010 when Mitchell Marsh led the team that included players like Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson, who are now an integral part of the Australia national teams.
Australia squad for ICC Men's U-19 World Cup 2022: Harkirat Bajwa, Aidan Cahill, Cooper Connolly, Joshua Garner, Isaac Higgins, Campbell Kellaway, Corey Miller, Jack Nisbet, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, William Salzmann, Lachlan Shaw, Jackson Sinfield, Tobias Snell, Tom Whitney, Teague Wyllie
