We all know about Virat Kohli, the young lad from Delhi who captained the India U-19 side in 2008 and created history by winning it and then made a big name for himself in the Indian cricket team and is one of the faces of cricket but have you ever heard an uncanny tale about someone who was on the brink of playing in the same U-19 squad but couldn't make it big in his cricketing career. A tale of someone who is not a popular face amidst the crowds anymore but whose tale can move you as much as Virat's can.
In this column, we will be bringing forward the interview of Varun Gutta, the extraordinarily talented cricketer from Hyderabad who was on the verge of making it big but his fate wasn't ready to make that happen.
How he fell in love with the sport and the early days of his cricketing career:-
My brother has always been my inspiration behind playing Cricket as he was very fond and extremely passionate about this sport but unfortunately during my brother's time, our family's economic status wasn't good so he couldn't professionally. When I was 10 years old, he helped me in joining a summer camp. In the initial phase, there was no intention to play cricket professionally but later on when I joined the summer camp I started valuing the game and I felt like it's in my blood.
On the lack of opportunities and how it costed him his career:-
It's been tough on me as I didn't receive enough opportunities to showcase my potential and talent as a leg spinner. I feel that the place I deserved was given to some other influential players as they had the backing of some influential godfathers which wasn't the case with me. I also strongly feel that had I got more opportunities, it would have helped me a lot to improve my game and I could have made a bigger name for myself.
On comeback after facing injuries and the importance of fitness:-
Apart from a minor injury, which I faced in childhood, injuries haven't had any impact on my career as I was one of the fittest players from my team. My general perspective on injuries is that it takes a lot of time to recover from it mentally and physically and become as effective as before. It's not just about recovering from the injury. It's also about maintaining the level of game as there's always the fear of losing your spot in the team and getting replaced.
On his experience of playing with Ambati Rayudu, Pragyan Ojha & Ashish Reddy:-
I am very fortunate to have mingled with Rayudu, Pragyan and Ashish. I used to admire Rayudu a lot as I have seen him closely since my childhood as we were in the same coaching camp. He was one of the best batsmen of Hyderabad at that time and there were a lot of things that any individual could have learned from him and become better at cricket.
Ashish was very talented he used to open the innings in domestic matches which is never an easy task along with bowling medium pace. He used to bat lower down the order for SRH in the IPL and on whole, he was a multi-dimensional player. He is a great human and I know that as I have been sharing a more than decent bond with him off the field as well.
Pragyan was an extremely hardworking person. I have observed him pretty closely and I firmly believe that despite having some limitations in his bowling, he went on to have a decent international career due to his hardwork which made him India's leading spinner at a point of time. I have practiced in nets alongside him on several occasions and have seen him work really hard from close quarters.
Varun Gutta with Ashish Reddy
On receiving the award from Andhra Pradesh's CM Rajashekar Reddy with his name featuring in newspaper headlines:-
I was very happy and proud of myself when my photo and name were featured in the newspaper for the first time. Later on, it became normal as my name got featured hundreds of times in the newspaper. Receiving the award from Rajashekar Reddy was one of the biggest moments of my life and I was very honoured and delighted.
On the ups & downs of his career:-
The best phase of my career was during the age of 14 to 17. When I was 15 years old, Chamundeshwarnath, a senior selection committee member of India at that time, came to my coaching camp and demanded to see my performance. As India needed a leg spinner for U-19 circuit, he wanted to take me to the NCA in Bangalore as they had heard a lot about me from Dilip Vengsarkar who had seen me in Goa while I was playing a state match, he was amazed after seeing my performance but my coach wasn't ready to send me as he felt that I was very young and had a lot of time up my sleeve. My parents did not have much knowledge of cricket so whatever my coach used to say used to be their final decision. I still feel that decision went on to be a major reason for my downfall and was in hindsight, one of the lowest points of my cricketing career.
Regrets from his cricketing career:-
Even after my sensational and record breaking number of wickets in a season, my state team didn't pick me which was a major setback which closed all the doors of my U-19 selection as the selectors informed me that I wasn't picked for the U-19 team. Honestly, it breaks any cricketer's heart when their state team doesn't back the players. Quitting cricket has also been a big decision which I regret now as facing rejection was very hard back then and the advice which I have for future cricketers is "Forget about today, forget about tomorrow, if anyone is betraying or pushing you down, just hold your nerves and stay calm, wait for the right time and when the right time comes, nobody will be able to stop you".
On his chances of getting selected for the IPL and ICL:-
Had I been picked for the U-19 side or for my state side at that time, I could have been a part of the IPL, if not for the first season then atleast for the later seasons. IPL could have been a great platform for me for my comeback and it could have opened the doors for my selection for India had I performed well in the tournament. IPL also helps players in getting fame. I was even offered to play ICL but due to some external reasons I couldn't be a part of it.
On his favourite format and its value in Cricket:-
It has to be Test cricket, there is absolutely no doubt about it. It is the purest form of the game which tests you mentally and physically. People need to watch legends like Gavaskar, Bradman, Vengsarkar, McGrath, Dravid and Warne to understand and value this format. Nothing can match the pride and passion you feel when you represent your country in the toughest format of the game. With ICC coming up with a World Test Championship which I think is a brilliant initiative and a step taken in the right direction as it will motivate the young people to play test cricket which is the need of the hour as test cricket has to survive it being the backbone of this beautiful game.
On his dreams and expectations from future:-
My dream is to still be connected with cricket and produce at least one talented cricketer for India at the highest level. With all my cricketing experiences comprising all the ups and downs, rejections and challenges that I faced during my time, I want to help a player in facing those challenges by being with him and making him mentally and physically strong using my own experiences during those tough phases as it very important to be strong so as to play for the nation at the highest level.
Some of the various awards that Varun has
