Young all-rounder Prashant Veer’s father Ramendra Tripathi, a village-level school teacher in Amethi, has a small, but important message for his son, who smashed the record for uncapped players, fetching R14.20 crore from Chennai Super Kings at the IPL auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. “We always knew Prashant was hugely talented, but not in our wildest dreams did we expect R14.2 crores. But though we are very happy, I have told Prashant to remain humble and not be swayed by this sudden windfall and popularity, and focus solely on furthering his career,” Ramendra told mid-day.
“I have told Prashant to continue his cricket journey sincerely like he has been doing from the time he was attracted to the sport at the age of five. At this stage in his career, more than the money, we want him to go on and play for the county at the highest level. Our generations have served the country; my father was a government employee, I am a government teacher and now I want Prashant to serve the nation as a cricketer,” added Ramendra.
Prashant Veer’s father Ramendra Tripathi
In UP’s cricketing circles, Prashant, 20, is known as Ravindra Jadeja 2.0, being a talented left-arm spinner and an equally efficient southpaw batter. He has been performing very well for UP over the last couple of years, so much so that during recent domestic cricket tournaments he had to shuttle between Kolkata (Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy matches) and Mumbai (U-23 match) on alternate days. Besides, he has been doing well in the UPT20 league too and was among the top players in the wishlist of almost all the talent scouts, who were watching these domestic games. Clearly, the CSK management are keen to groom Veer as a successor to Jadeja after the latter was traded for Sanju Samson to Rajasthan Royals.
Talking to mid-day from Amethi, Prashant’s cousin Aman Veer Tripathi said, “Prashant was always keen on cricket, but as there were no proper facilities in Amethi, his childhood coach Ghalib Ansari told him to attend the trials at the government hostel in Mainpuri, where he did well. Five years ago, since his grandfather was posted in Saharanpur as a Development Officer in LIC, he asked him to join the SBBA Cricket Academy in Saharanpur, where Prashant trained under Rajiv Goyal. Prashant has progressed gradually thereafter.”