Harshwardhan, Aakash thrive in tough competition

Aakash Mangde of Al Barkaat MMI English School and Harshwardhan Barmukh of IES New English School shine in U-14 Giles Shield cricket tournament in Mumbai.

INTRO: The two anchored their respective teams’ impressive run in the U-14 Giles Shield tournament

HT Image

Mumbai: His team, Al Barkaat MMI English School, may have lost the U-14 Giles Shield semi-final to eventual champions Swami Vivekanand International School, but Aakash Mangde ensured he was the standout performer in the match with a knock of 182 runs.

The 14-year-old was named the best wicketkeeper-batter of the tournament for scoring 377 runs in four innings with two centuries and a half-century. For him, the best part was the experience of fighting till the end along with his teammates.

Hailing from Badlapur, Mangde travels nearly two hours early in the morning to reach his school in Kurla by 7.30 am. He then practices cricket from 3 to 5 in the afternoon before heading home and attending tuitions from 8 to 10 pm. Despite the long days, he has no complaints due to the joy of playing cricket.

While he relishes the intense competition, Mangde, who made it to the Mumbai U-14 squad last year, accepted that there isn’t much room for error. “If you don’t perform, you’ll be out of the team. Good performances get recognised but there are so many who do well. So, you have to grab every opportunity and really make a mark,” he said.

For IES New English School’s Harshwardhan Barmukh, who won the best batter award for the Giles Shield, the competition in Mumbai cricket feels tough at times but focussing on his own process helps him perform.

The left-handed middle order batter scored 111 runs in the semi-final to help his team win. He finished the tournament with 390 runs from four innings with two centuries and two fifties.

A fan of Ben Stokes, Barmukh hopes to play for India one day. He scored heavily in the Giles Shield but knows there’s room for improvement in his game. “I don’t like facing swing bowling and prefer batting aggressively against spinners. I’ll keep working hard and will try to do even better in the upcoming season,” he said.