Never took any formal cricket training, says Sachin Baby ahead of IPL 2016 final

In the interview shared by RCB's official Twitter handle, Baby also speaks about how he has been learning being around the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the dressing room.

There are players who undergo intensive training in the sport and then go on to become legends of it. If we look around, we will find ample such examples in the world of cricket. But then there are some who never take any formal coaching and yet go on to make a mark. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Sachin Baby is one of those. ALSO READ: IPL 2016, RCB and Sachin Baby’s day out.

The diminutive batsman from Kerala has had a decent Indian Premier League (IPL) 9 season so far. With a strike of 146, he has provided the late flourish to the RCB innings many a time this season. But many would be surprised to know that he has never taken any formal training in the game. In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Baby shared how not having a professional coach did not keep him away from learning the sport.

Coming from a town in a football-crazy state, the only reason he could become a cricketer was because it was his mother’s dream. As a matter of fact, he even got his name ‘Sachin’ as his mother was a huge Sachin Tendulkar fan. “As a child, I used to play football. Even during my school days, I didn’t play cricket. I had also attended a few football trials. But my love for my mother and my mother’s love for cricket is how I made the 22 yards my ultimate goal”, he said. ALSO READ: IPL 2016: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, road to the final.

He further shared about his struggles in his early days saying, “I hail from a place where there is no cricket ground, no coaching centers, no facilities. It was in the newspapers where I discovered about the upcoming selection trials. I was accompanied to the venue by my mother and was lucky enough to be selected. As far as I remember, we had to travel a distance of about 60 kms to arrive at the venue for the trials.”

Baby further revealed that during his initial days, he did not have the services of a professional coach and learnt batting by only watching it on television. “I have never received any formal training in cricket. I had nobody to coach me. May sound surprising but I learnt the game solely by watching it. I used to play the U-13 and U-19 games for two months in a year, while the rest of the 10 months I got no opportunity to play competitive cricket. I just watched it on the television and absorbed as much as I could”

Baby also spoke about how he has been learning being around the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the dressing room. “Virat Bhai is an inspiration to all of us. His mere presence in the team sends across positive vibes. He is extremely committed to the sport and works very hard. AB is down to earth. Getting a chance to bat alongside him twice in this IPL is one of the best things that have happened to me. Both Virat Bhai and AB have taught me a lot about the game and building a partnership”. On Sunday, RCB’s ‘Baby’ will take the field alongside its giants and look to win the first title for the side.