Jamshedpur: Jharkhand left-arm spinner Anukul Roy has been included in the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup squad announced by the International Cricket Council in Dubai on Sunday. Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra, Shubman Gill and Kamlesh Nagarkoti are the other Indians who have made it to the World XI.
Back home in Bihar's Samastipur, Roy's parents told The Telegraph they always believed that Anukul would earn a name in cricket. Judging the talent of his son from the beginning, father Sudhakar Roy, a lawyer in Samastipur, thought it wise to shift him to neighbouring Jharkhand.
"I think the decision has yielded expected results. He is getting exposure in Jharkhand and has represented the country in the Under-19 World Cup," Sudhakar said.
The elder Roy accompanied Anukul to steel city in 2013 and enrolled him in former Bihar Ranji skipper V. Venkat Ram's cradle at Uliyan, Kadma.
"Anukul was young and needed my guidance in an alien place. He was not getting opportunities in Bihar. I brought him to Jamshedpur so that he could learn the intricacies of the game under able hands and also play competitive cricket. I also admitted him in Class VIII at Vidya Bharti School in Kadma. But he left school a year later to focus on cricket," he said.
"Anukul ko padhai mein man nahin lagta tha. Maine bhi socha jab padna nahin hain toh uske cricket par dhyan diya jaaye (Anukul was not interested in studies. So I thought he should concentrate on cricket)," Sudhakar said, expressing happiness that his son has proved him right. The left-arm spinner later headed to Chaibasa (from Jamshedpur) for an opportunity to play in the JSCA inter-district tournament," Sudhakar recalled.
On how they celebrated India's win, Anukul's mother Ranju Devi said they watched the match on a screen at UN Palace, a marriage hall in Sam-astipur, and distributed sweets. " Hum Log ke alava, hamare parichit bhi match dekhe. Ladke ko dekh kar bahut khusi ho rahi thi. Bhagwan kare woh aur aagey badhen (We watched the match on a screen at a marriage hall. Besides us, our neighbours and relatives also watched the match. I felt very happy. May Almighty help him make more progress)," she said.
Sudhakar said Anukul would come to Samastipur later this month. "He will head to Hyderabad to join the Jharkhand team play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy starting on February 5. But he would miss the opening match," he said. Anukul has an elder brother Abhishek and two sisters Smriti and Puja.
