Rounak Waghela: 17-year-old Delhi’s Jadeja gears up to face his idol in Rajkot

“Baat toh karna, ek selfie bhi leni hai, magar speech kaise commencement karoonga, itne bade cricketer hai, lucifer ke baad shayad handshake karte waqt mauka mile(I privation to speech to him. I privation to click a photograph with him. I don’t cognize however I volition commencement the conversation. He is specified a large cricketer. Maybe aft the match, portion shaking his manus I volition get the chance),” Rounak tells The Indian Express successful 1 enactment implicit the telephone from Rajkot.

The 17-year-old is named successful Delhi’s Ranji Trophy squad for the crippled against Saurashtra successful Rajkot aft his exploits for Delhi U-23 side. Rounak has picked up 31 wickets successful 5 outings successful the Col CK Nayudu Trophy and 22 scalps successful 7 Men’s U23 State A Trophy.

The youngster has earned the moniker of Jadeja from his teammates due to the fact that of his close bowling and fantabulous fielding.

“It feels bully to beryllium compared. But Ravindra Jadeja is simply a antithetic people and to scope his level I volition person to enactment highly hard. If I volition get the accidental I volition instrumentality a fewer tips from his connected bowling and fielding. He is similar a cheetah successful the field.

“The performances successful the U-23 person helped maine get successful the team. It is simply a monolithic accidental for me. I volition get the accidental to vessel Rishabh bhaiya successful the nets and if lucky, to Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja successful the match,” helium says.

Rounak Waghela trains astatine the Venkateshwar Cricket Academy successful Dwarka nether Devdutt Baghel.”He was 7 erstwhile helium came to our academy. He wanted to beryllium a mean pacer. After 3 years, I told him to absorption connected left-arm spin,” Baghel says.

“Once helium started bowling left-arm spin, the boys successful the academy started calling him Jadeja, Jaddu and the sanction has struck to him. Initially similar immoderate Delhi boy, helium was Virat Kohli’s instrumentality but dilatory Jadeja took over. He wants to beryllium an fantabulous fielder similar Jadeja. He bats astatine No 7 and 8.

“With the bat, helium has done good astatine the U-16 level but elder cricket is antithetic but helium has worked hard connected his batting. He has played a important relation successful East Delhi Riders winning the inaugural Delhi Premier League arsenic well. He bowled the past implicit successful the final,” helium adds.

Rounak Waghela with different trainees astatine the Venkateshwar Cricket Academy successful Dwarka. (Express Photo)

Rounak’s father, Deva Ram, runs a tiny world coaching centre astatine his location successful JJ Colony successful Raghubir Nagar, Tagore Garden successful West Delhi. Deva Ram is simply a maths teacher.

“I utilized to springiness backstage tuitions. I acceptable up this coaching centre precise recently,” helium says. The begetter credits Rounak’s occurrence to manager Baghel, who has not taken a penny since the clip helium joined the academy successful 2014.

“I person nary publication to his cricket. I took Rounak and my elder brother’s lad Kush to the academy without overmuch thought. Baghel sir liked some of them and since past helium has picked some the boys from our location and dropped them disconnected aft the grooming session. Never took immoderate wealth from us. His sanction is Dev which means deity and helium is that for us,” says the father.

Rounak mightiness person lived each his beingness successful Delhi but his roots are from Ahmedabad successful Gujarat. “I grew up successful Ahmedabad. My begetter worked determination for 30 years. Once helium retired, we moved to Delhi, but our roots are from Gujarat” says Deva Ram.

Devdutt who took attraction of Rounak’s cricket was near affectional erstwhile the youngster and his begetter presented him a cheque of Rs 1,25,000 for the academy from the wealth that helium got aft playing BCCI’s U-16 tournament.

“Best infinitesimal of my coaching career,” helium says. “I told him nary I won’t instrumentality the wealth but past helium said it is for the academy and the cricketers, who travel from humble backgrounds.”