Sachin ready to hit right strokes

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Gearing up for his first international tour, Kerala Under-22 cricket team captain Sachin Mohan is looking forward for a second turning point in his career.

The 20-year-old hit the peak with all-round performances in the four matches he played for both the under-22 team and KCA XI in C.K. Nayudu Trophy and Subba Rao Trophy respectively, last season. Sachin had amassed three centuries and scalped seven wickets in the tournaments.

He believes that his performance in the last season was a major breakthrough. “It was really a career-deciding match. I was dropped out in the first four matches of C.K. Nayudu Trophy (2010/11) but was selected for the final match against Goa,” he said.

In the match, Sachin came up with an excellent performance, scoring 115 runs off 125 balls, including five sixes and 10 fours. In addition, he scalped four wickets as the under-22 team won the match by an innings and 138 runs.

“After the performance, I received the call to the senior team for the Buchi Babu Invitational held in Chennai. Though I did not play in the tournament, I also received call for the D.V. Subba Rao Trophy inter-state cricket tournament. The tournament was one of the major ones in my career so far,” he said.

In the tournament final, Sachin Mohan was conferred with the Man of the Match for his century that enabled the team to take a first innings lead and win three points to lift the cup.

“My next aim is to play in Ranji Trophy. I believe the tour and C.K. Nayudu Trophy to be played this season will be of great importance,” says the 20-year-old left-hand batsman.

Son of a former Ranji player, Mohan Kumar, Sachin started playing cricket when he was five. “My father helped me a lot during initial stages. After participating in a few camps of Thiruvanan-thapuram Cricket Assoc-iation, I was selected to the junior team,” Sachin said. Sachin has also played for the State under-13, under-15, under-17 and under-19 teams.

Sachin, who has scored around 2,500 runs and felled about 70 wickets as part of State teams, is optimistic about the upcoming season. “We will play against the Sri Lanka under-22 team. We are leaving on Monday. Hope everything comes right,” he said.

Sachin, who started his career as a one-down, has also donned the role of opener in the recent matches. “The Srilankan tour will be a nice experience and I am expecting a repetition of last season.” he says.