Comparison with Tendulkar & Ponting affected him, concedes Australia teenager Jason Sangha

Australian teenager Jason Sangha’s fast rise a couple of years ago made a comparison between him and legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting because of his young age and sound technique. However, the Indian-origin cricketer has recently conceded that comparison with past greats like Tendulkar and Ponting had indeed affected him and now he has got rid of the burden and aims to make it to the national team.

In 2016, the New South Wales-born Sangha, only 16 then, became the second player of Indian origin to be contracted by NSW along with Arjun Nair. He made rapid strides since, scoring big in the Under-19 National Championships and then scoring a century on debut for Australia U19 team. In 2017, Sangha became the second youngest after Tendulkar to score a first-class hundred against England. Sangha played the game for Cricket Australia XI against the visiting side in a tour match.

He then entered into the senior camp of the NSW and after captaining Australia in the ICC Under-19 World Cup final last year (Australia lost to India) and picking up his maiden Sheffield Shield ton this season, he began to be compared by commentator Kerry O’Keefe as the Australian batsman with the best technique since Ponting.

Sangha picked for CA XI against Sri Lanka

Sangha, who is playing for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League currently and left the commentators in splits recently over a grand misjudgement of a catch, has been picked for the Cricket Australia XI that will take on Sri Lanka in a three-day match in Hobart starting January 17 ahead of a two-Test series beginning next week. A good show with the bat could boost his chances to make the international debut since Australia are not having their best of times in batting of late, especially in the longer format.

“You can’t really hide away from all the hype in the media, in the past it’s really affected me. And I’ve been my own worst enemy sometimes when it comes to that sort of stuff. But in recent years I’ve learnt to enjoy the game a bit more and try and do my best for where the team is,” Sangha, who has played only eight first-class games so far and averages above 31, told reporters on Monday.

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