Dubai: Delhi Private School (DPS), Sharjah and Kricket’s Spero Academy, Dubai have got a young captain in Devnath Menon who leads from the front. He will turn 16 on May 9 but leads the team with the maturity of an experienced cricketer.
Devnath not only led Kricket’s Spero Academy to title triumph in the prestigious fourth Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care Under-16 Inter Academy tournament, hosted by Dubai Cricket Council, but also bagged the top individual awards for outstanding performance by steering DPS to victory in Skyline University tournament. Menon helped his school finish runners-up in the MGS Vision Cup inter school tournament held under the aegis of the Sharjah Cricket Council.
“I train hard and play hard too and so I am happy that my school as well as my academy did well and also won some of the top tournaments this year, Menon told Gulf News. “On school days, I train early morning at the DPS under my school coach Vikram Dutt. On Friday and Saturday, I train at the Kricket’s Spero Academy under coach Sony Cheruvathur. My aim is to play for UAE at all age categories,” added Menon, who not only lifted the winners’ trophy as captain of his academy in the Inter Academy tournament but also bagged the best bowler of the tournament award.
Menon opens the batting for his school but bats at No. 4 for the academy. His all-round performance won him many Man of the Match awards in the Skyline University tournament to ensure DPS the title.
In last year’s National Schools League (NSL) Cricket tournament, Menon was in stupendous form. “I won two Man of the Match awards and was adjudged the second most valuable player. I was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 12 wickets in this tournament,” said Menon, also a part-time off spinner.
“Being an off-spinner, I wanted to learn the techniques correctly and bowl with the right action. My father, who takes keen interest in my game, took me to Chennai for training under former Indian leg-spinner L. Sivaramakrishnan at the Cricket Drome. I trained for 30 days through two 15-day sessions in July and August last year.
“I was six years old when I went to Shehzad Altaf’s Young Talent Academy. At the age of 10, I won my first award when I bagged the best batsman and two Man of the Match awards for Young Talent Academy in the Interface Gulf Cup tournament in Abu Dhabi,” he said. “I idolise Sachin Tendulkar and follow his way of trying to improve with every match,” added the youngster.
