In India, more often than not, when a youngster shows keen interest in cricket there’s always a helping hand, or rather a guiding light within the family. India cricket is replete with stories of fathers, brothers, uncles, and cousins going the extra mile to carve the road to success for their wards.
Meerut-born Sameer Rizvi is not different.
Under the tutelage of his coach, and his uncle, Tankeeb Akhtar, Rizvi climbed through the ranks in UP cricket and made a big splash in the UPT20 earlier this year. And the year could not have ended any better. Just two weeks after turning 20, Rizvi became the highest-paid uncapped cricketer at the IPL Player Auction 2024 at INR 8.4 Crore, picked up by Chennai Super Kings.
Already earmarked as one of the top uncapped players at this year’s auction, stars aligned for Rizvi when defending champions CSK went berserk during the bidding, to stave off fierce challenges from Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals.
Historically, CSK seldom chase a player desperately in the auction. And when they do, they invariably end up roping that player in.
For Akhtar, the buy was a vindication of his and Rizvi’s hard work. In an exclusive chat with News18 CricketNext, Akhtar said the zeal of playing the sport has taken his nephew to newer heights.
“Bohot down to earth ladka hai,” said a delighted Akhtar in a telephonic conversation.
“Sameer was five or six when he started coming to the ground. He is a very dedicated boy and has been playing for almost 14-15 years but never took a day off. He has a lot of passion for the game. He used to come to the ground early in the morning and would practice till 6:00 – 7:00 in the evening at Gandhi Bagh Cricket Academy which is located at Roorkee Road,” he added.
The fans came across Rizvi’s talent in the inaugural edition of the UPT20 earlier this year. Representing Kanpur Superstars, Rizvi scored the fastest hundred in the competition. The 20-year-old Meerut boy finished with 455 runs in nine innings in the tournament, smashing the most number of sixes for his team.
“He was 12 when he played Under-14 and in fact scored a hundred in his debut match. He has been very consistent for his state and also scored runs in the UPT20 league. He notched up more than 450 runs in 9 matches including two centuries. He then followed it with good scores in SMAT and Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. His hard work has finally paid off,” Akhtar further said.
The MS Dhoni factor
Rizvi now will be under the wings of legendary captain MS Dhoni in the Super Kings camp. For the right-hander’s coach, it’s a great opportunity for his ward to learn a few tricks from the master himself.
“He has been playing with some senior players in the Ranji trophy. He is someone who is very down to earth and will focus on learning more skills during the IPL as well.
“It’s a very big thing that he will get a chance to interact with MS Dhoni. It will be a huge opportunity for him to learn new things,” Akhtar said.
Final goal is to play for India
Rizvi, as any other cricketer, is focused on playing for the country someday.
“His father was a property dealer but his health doesn’t allow him to work anymore while his mother is a homemaker. Apart from that, Sameer has a brother and two sisters. As I said, he is a very down-to-earth boy. He doesn’t really focus on money as his aim is to play for India someday,” Akhtar said.
“Of course, it’s a good amount but Sameer is someone who is focused on his game more than anything else,” Akhtar concluded.
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