U19 World Cup highest wicket-taker Anukul Roy owes his success to MS Dhoni

One of the biggest positives for the India U19 team in the recently concluded junior World Cup Cup is the performance of left-arm spinner Anukul Roy. The youngster, who is also an able lower middle-order batsman finished as the joint highest wicket-taker of the mega-event. With scintillating figures of 14 wickets in six games at a stupendous average of 9.07 per wicket, his exploits at such a level are nothing short of heroic.

While it has been a dream journey for Anukul in the World Cup, the 19-year-old had doubts at one point whether he will board the flight to New Zealand as an ankle injury almost prevented him from taking part in the tournament. However, the team management and Rahul Dravid backed him, and he repaid the faith shown in him by the selectors with some exceptional performances in the tournament.

Anukul successfully stemmed the run flow in the middle overs during the final against Australia. With a rich repertoire of tricks up his sleeves and his variations in line and length, the prodigal spinner was a revelation of the Indian side that lifted the championship for a record 4^th time.

Dhoni provided the youngster with imperative advice

Following his return from New Zealand, Anukul spoke on different aspects which also included that how the interactions with Mahendra Singh Dhoni helped him become a better player.

Appreciating the former India skipper for his imperative contribution, Anukul said, “We have not met or spoken after the win. But he knows me so whenever we meet in person, he keeps telling me to stay disciplined. You are bowling well. If you put more body into your deliveries, the chances of bowling short will also go down. So, that advice helped me a lot and I am bowling less number of short deliveries. So, I am feeling good, I am feeling confident).

Meanwhile, Anukul’s next target is to play well for Jharkhand in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy. On asked whether he got a chance to speak with former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni