Sachin Singh, a former West Indies Under-16 captain is gearing to take the Regional under-19 tournament by storm should it take place in the post-COVID-19 world.
Stabroek Sport caught up with the 18-year-old batsman who led Guyana at the Under-17 level last year on one of his training sessions where he documented his journey towards glory.
Singh, despite being a complete performer with his nifty seam bowling, identifies himself as a batsman first who can bowl.
According to the left-hander, the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, which is threatening the possibility of the premier regional youth tournament being cancelled altogether has also affected his preparation but he is making up for that with extensive training.
“Well, we had a little downtime due to the coronavirus but for the last couple of weeks we have been training behind the Marriott here so it is coming along great,” he said.
“We had some fielding practice but the only thing short is the batting practice,” Singh added.
The talented Demerara Cricket Club batsman said that his fitness had proven costly in the past seasons.
“That is the most important aspect I want to improve on and so far it’s going good.”
The East Bank Demerara franchise opener was one of four Guyanese selected in the West Indies Under-19 training camp for the recent Youth World Cup in South Africa but was unable to secure a spot in the side. Nevertheless, he indicated that the snub has motivated him to improve his game.
“Ever since I was dropped from the squad it put me down for a couple of weeks but after then I had a lot of good advice from my family especially my father, Inderjeet Singh and friends like Sherfane [Rutherford], Ramaal [Lewis], [Raymond] Perez, [Joshua] Persaud I realized it was not the end of the road for me and I just have to work a lot harder to improve so I am putting in the work to reach back at the top,” he stated.
The road to the regional stage, however, will not be easy and Singh is aware that his place could be cemented through a good run in the local Inter-County tournament.
“It is really important for me because I have to get back some come confidence, I have been comfortable getting some runs in the Inter-County over the years so I just want to continue doing well and build confidence heading into the regional tournament.”
With his eyes set on a senior call up in the near future, Singh admitted that he does see the Under-19 tournament as a pathway into the senior set-up with good performances proving to be rewarded with Cricket Guy Inc., Academy contracts.
Already a veteran of two years in the national Under-19 team, Singh could be one of the front runners for the captaincy position, a role which he relishes.
“I love the pressure to be very honest, pressure brings out the best in me and I don’t see it as affecting me. I just have to step up as a captain when needed and lead the team from the front,” he stated.
