EXCLUSIVE: With Mohammad Shami, Dale Steyn As Idols, Vasu Vats Dreams of Emulating His Heroes

New Delhi: Born in Saharanpur, India’s U-19 cricketer Vasu Vats dreams of playing for India one day and replicate the same kind of performance his idols, Mohammad Shami and Dale Steyn have been able to showcase at the international stage. Living in a village, far off from the city, Vats has had his fair share of challenges but believes that it was his family that helped him to get over those and now his only focus remains to work hard on his game and get the India cap someday.

“I loved to play cricket since I was a kid and five years back, I choose cricket as my profession. So that’s how my cricket journey started. Right now I am feeling so proud since we won the Under-19 World Cup. You won’t be able to play the World Cup again, so it was a lifetime opportunity. I am so happy,” said Vats in an exclusive interview with india.com.

Talking about the role his father played in his life, the 19-year-old said, “My biggest motivation is my dad. It’s just not that he supported me to play cricket but also I see him managing other things other than taking care of me. The most struggling phase of my life came a year back when I got injured and of course, the pandemic as I was not able to practice and without practising it’s not easy to beat the competition in cricket.”

Learnings from the World Cup would help Vats to work on his game and get better and that is exactly what he plans to do.

“I would work hard on my game as I’ve learned a lot in the World Cup and I will follow that in my schedules and life. I would work on my mistakes. My favourite Indian cricketer is Mohammed Shami because of his accuracy and in international cricket, it would be Dale Steyn because I love his bowling action and aggression,” he said.

Vats father couldn’t be more proud of his son and he emphasised the kind of sacrifices his son had to do in order to be where he is today.

“As a parent, I am so happy for my son. I am unable to explain how I am feeling right now. Every parent struggle with their kids but if I talk about mine since we are not living near any highway but in a village, the challenges were a bit more. There were days when at midnight during the winters, I used to pick him up from Saharanpur Academy. Then there was Vishwamitra Cricket Academy where he used to go in the morning at times. We were so worried because of the harsh weather conditions but Vasu never gave up. He just wanted to play the game,” said his father.

“The main work of our family is agriculture but I am also a teacher in private-public school. Always listen to your child and support them. I listened to my child and supported him to achieve his dreams and you can see the results,” he added.

Vats is not the only one with dreams of playing for India. The love for cricket is deeply rooted in the family and while his father failed to realise his cricket dreams, he is living it through his son.

“I also loved to play cricket but unfortunately could not do much there but now I will live my dreams with Vasu. Vasu’s uncle Vinod encourages me whenever I feel depressed and I can say that he is the pillar for us, always backing me,” revealed Vasu’s father.

“Vasu’s coach Vinay Kumar is the one took him Delhi for the game. He is the one who is taking care of Vasu and he always encourages Vasu for his performance. Akram Saifi director of Saharanpur Cricket Association is also the guy who helped my kid to shine. He is the only guy who called him daily for his World Cup journey. Akram sir guided him when he got injured. He is like the saviour of Vasu,” he further went on to add.

Vasu’s coach Vinay Kumar who trained him in Vishwamitra Cricket Academy was also very happy with his performance and thanked SHCA Director Akram Saifi for his hard work and dedication for the 19-year-old and other cricketers in the region. Kumar also trained Vernika Chaudhary who had earlier played in the Uttar Pradesh U-16 team.

“I am feeling so good today. Vasu makes us feel so proud. I am so happy that everyone recognises me as Vasu’s coach,” said Kumar.

“Akram Saifi is the only guy who promoted cricket in our district and became the messiah for the poor. Without his support we are nothing and we can say that he is the guy who is searching for talent in Saharanpur. I expect Vasu to play for India soon,” he added.