By Paul Edwards
Aryan Juyal is hoping that the high standard of cricket in the Love Lane Liverpool Competition will help him achieve his long-term goal of playing for India.
The 21-year-old Uttar Pradesh batsman, who signed for Southport and Birkdale late last month, toured England for the first time with his Reliance team-mates last summer, and their matches against county opponents on first-class grounds have only made him more eager to deepen his knowledge of conditions in this country.
“We played against some very good sides and what struck me was the fearless way English cricketers play the game,” he said.
“Coming to England offers many challenges for batsmen such as seaming conditions and a swinging ball. These things are less likely to happen in the subcontinent, so playing in the UK will take my game to the next level and I will also be able to learn from the mental approach of my fellow players.
“Lancashire were the only team who defeated us last summer and I expect the cricket in the Liverpool Competition to be of the highest quality.
“I’m also excited because I understand some of the grounds in the league are really beautiful and the atmosphere at some Competition games is very special.
“As soon as I had spoken with Chris Cunningham and Andrew Carney, I knew Southport was the right place for me.
“They were both very welcoming and helpful and that is what you want when playing overseas, so now I am looking forward to a great season for my new team.”
If S&B’s players have their wits about them, the exchange of information should be a two-way process. Juyal has already played 54 top-level games, most of them for his state, Uttar Pradesh, and has made three List A hundreds, plus one first-class century.
His developing career has included games with or against some of the best cricketers his country has produced, although his coaching session with Sachin Tendulkar remains very special.
“I’m fortunate in that I’ve had the chance to learn from some of the best players in the world and just seeing how they manage themselves on the field and the work ethic they follow has been a great learning for me,” he added.
“They all have a different way of doing things and Kieron Pollard became something of a big brother for me. He taught me a lot about this game and importantly, life.
“But meeting Sachin Tendulkar was a dream-come-true occasion, one of the best moments in my life. I walked over to him just after finishing my net and his insights were just so spot on, as though he had read my game in only 15 minutes. He is one the most humble human beings I’ve come across and is always open to help people.”
In time, Juyal hopes to follow Tendulkar by playing Test cricket for India. For the moment, though, he is preparing for another series of tests against a variety of Liverpool Competition bowlers, some of whom will no doubt offer pithy comments on his technique.
Before long, he will probably realise that their views are a backhanded compliment on his ability and the fact that he is adjusting quickly to the latest challenge in a career that local cricket supporters might do well to follow.
“Given the chance, I would definitely love to watch a game of Test cricket in England,” he said.
“My long-term goal is definitely to play for India but for now I simply want to come to England and develop my game and win matches for Southport and Birkdale.”
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