Shivamogga (Karnataka): Prakhar Chaturvedi has expressed his desire to play for India in the future after playing a historic knock of unbeaten 404 in the final of the Cooch Behar Trophy on Monday during an interview with ETV Bharat.
The 18-year-old broke former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's record of 358 which was the previous highest score in a Cooch Behar title fixture. The knock helped Karnataka clinch their maiden title. Speaking with ETV Bharat after his historic knock, Prakhar stated his desire to play for the national side.
"I aim to play for India for sure and then play the Indian Premier League (IPL). I am looking to get picked in the Karnataka Premier League," he said.
"Earlier my highest score was 200 and now scoring 400 that too in the prestigious final game is something special for me and I feel proud for what I did today," he mentioned after achieving the rarest feat.
Reflecting on what inspired him to opt for cricket as a profession, Prakhar remarked that it was West Indies great Sir Vivian Richards.
"I used to watch cricket a lot on TV when I was 10-11 years of age and that time I saw (former India opener) Virender Sehwag bat and I enjoyed it very much and then I started to play cricket with my friends and eventually I got into the academy and from there, my journey started. My all-time favourite player is Sir Vivian Richards. I also follow a few Indian legend cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I take a few things from their batting which can help me improve my game and perform better," the right-handed batter said.
Prakhar belongs to Bengaluru's middle-class family and has been with SIX cricket academy since he was 11. His father, Sanjay Chaturvedi is a software engineer from IIT BHU and now runs his own company, while his mother, Rupa Chaturvedi, is a technical advisor in the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
Prakhar also shared that India's head coach Rahul Dravid has played a key role in shaping his career.
"Yes, I have met (Rahul) Dravid sir many times now. I have also taken some advice from him, one of which has helped me evolve and improve as a cricketer. He advised me to visualize a match situation whenever I practice... like seeing the field and then play shots accordingly," he said.
"All the coaches from SIX Cricket Academy have helped me a lot throughout my 6-7 journey. 'Karthik Jaswanth sir, Karthik Achappa sir and Ashwin sir, like everyone have helped me and the facilities are top class. The wickets and the ground have been top-notch and that must have helped me to achieve this feat. I would like to thank you for helping me for so long," he added.
Prakhar carried his bat through the innings to remain unbeaten on 404 off 638 balls and his historic knock was studded with 46 fours and three sixes as Karnataka posted a mind-boggling 890/8 declared. In the process, Prakhar also broke former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh's (338) 25-year-old record for the highest score in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy final. The record for the highest individual score in India's premier Under 19 domestic event is held by Vijay Zol, who scored an unbeaten 451 for Maharashtra against Assam in the 2011-12 season.
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