A Legacy of Cricket and Family

When 18-year-old seam-bowling allrounder RS Ambrish was delivering a four-wicket haul against New Zealand in the Under-19 World Cup in Bulawayo, his father, R Sukumar, who was thousands of kilometers away in Chennai, was living through every moment of his son’s success. Sukumar had once been a cricket captain for Tamil Nadu Under-19 and was on the fringes of the Railways team in domestic cricket, but he never managed to break into the next level. On Saturday, he relished the Player-of-the-Match performance of his son.

Sukumar, who now coaches the Integral Coach Factory’s cricket team in Chennai, is also his son’s personal coach. “It’s a very proud moment to see him representing the country,” he says. “Whether as a father or a coach, it’s the same feeling of pride. I try to manage both roles. When I’m on the ground, I try to be strict, and when I’m at home, I try to be a friendly, jovial father.”

A Masterclass Performance

During India’s final group-stage fixture, Ambrish took the new ball and dismantled both Hugo Bogue and Tom Jones with extra bounce. He also yorked Marco Alpe with an inswinger that rushed the batter, and later returned with the older ball to have Selwin Sanjay hole out with a nifty, slower cutter. India skittled New Zealand for 135 in 36.2 overs and claimed victory.

At just 18, Ambrish is already a versatile player for his teams. The India Under-19 team management trusts him to bowl across different phases, build or rebuild the innings in the middle order, and even smash the ball when needed. Although Ambrish suffered a side injury in the lead-up to the Youth World Cup and missed the Asia Cup, his all-round skills ensured that he was quickly reintegrated into the team once he was fit.

Experience and Potential

Apart from Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ambrish is the only player in India’s Under-19 side with first-class experience. On his Ranji Trophy debut against Jharkhand in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu entrusted him to open the batting alongside N Jagadeesan after their regular opener fell ill. Ambrish also bowled to Ruturaj Gaikwad at the Chennai Super Kings Academy last year.

Sukumar has vivid memories of how it all began for Ambrish when he was just a year old. “I remember at that time, he picked up my cricket bat and wanted to play. At the age of one year or so, other kids will pick up plastic bats, but Ambrish was picking up my cricket bat. I had a fear he would hurt himself, but he seemed comfortable and I understood he had the passion and spark for the game.”

A Natural Talent

Ambrish is a natural athlete—he excelled in track and field when he was in school—but eventually followed his father’s footsteps and decided to become a professional cricketer. He idolizes Ben Stokes and hopes to become a genuine allrounder like him in the future.

“As an allrounder, I know I have to come down the order [in white-ball cricket] and bowl overs [in different situations],” Ambrish said during the domestic season last year. “So, I prepare according to it and maintain my fitness. Since I was young, I’ve liked Ben Stokes for his all-round skills.”

Learning from the Best

Ambrish had the opportunity to watch his hero live in the Edgbaston Test in July last year, when he was also touring the UK with the Under-19 side. Ambrish came away as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India in the Youth Tests and the joint-highest wicket-taker overall in the Youth ODIs besides contributing with the bat.

“I can bowl hard lengths naturally and it worked out well in England,” Ambrish said. “Our coaches told me that we may get some green wickets, but wickets won’t come automatically. Even if it’s a helpful wicket, we have to bowl in control to get the wickets. So, we didn’t want to get carried away by the wickets there.”

Adjusting to Different Conditions

As a batter, Ambrish needed more time to adjust to the English attack’s own hit-the-deck bustle. “England have a lot of tall bowlers—you don’t see too many tall, fast bowlers in Chennai,” he said. “The first 20 balls, if you see, I didn’t hit much. I needed some time to get used to their height and pace. I struggled the first few balls and then got well set and played my shots.”

Ambitions Beyond Under-19

India have barely needed Ambrish with the bat in the Under-19 World Cup, which is a reflection of their depth at this level. While he and his team are gunning for the title again, he is far from satisfied with the success that has come his way.

“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself,” Ambrish said. “I see Under-19 as a starting stage of my career and want to progress. It shouldn’t stop at the Under-19 level. I want to win games for my team with both bat and ball.”