The Mumbai Under-14 player scored a 100 (14x4) against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) XI in Somerset on Tuesday
As Kohli & Co are stretching every sinew in their quest for India's third 50-50 World Cup triumph, Sahil Jadhav, a teenaged Mumbai all-rounder, is completing his cricketing education by playing and training in English conditions.
Sahil, 16, a Class IX student of Don Bosco School, Matunga and a Dilip Vengsarkar Academy trainee, is playing for Wells Cathedral School in Somerset.
The Mumbai Under-14 player scored a 100 (14x4) against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) XI in Somerset on Tuesday. He returned figures of 9-2-20-1 with his off-spin and clinched the man-of-the-match award.
"It's tough to bat here with the wickets being grassy; the ball swings a lot and it's cold too. However, I am enjoying playing against different teams which have players senior to me. Batting against MCC was challenging, but a century against such a good team has boosted my confidence," Sahil told mid-day yesterday.
MCC treasurer Tony Elgood, was impressed by Sahil's batting. "Sahil's century for Wells Cathedral School against MCC is the most impressive innings I have witnessed from someone so young. For a 16-year-old to possess not only such exquisite timing, but also the power to hit the MCC bowlers to all parts of the ground was quite extraordinary," said Elgood.
Earlier, Sahil scored a half-century against Font Hill CC and has picked up nine wickets in four games so far. The young cricketer is in England courtesy a cricketing exchange programme initiated by Cricket Beyond Boundaries, formed by Dr Samir Pathak. Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan have been to England before through this programme.
Sahil's father Haresh was thrilled over his son's progress in England. "It's beyond our imagination that our son is in England. I thank all his coaches, Dilip Vengsarkar and Cricket Beyond Boundaries, who granted him a scholarship to train and play matches there," said Haresh.
Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates