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Cricketer Swastik Chikkara, who represents Meerut Mavericks in the ongoing UPT20 Cricket League, said that the league is a fine platform for up-and-coming cricketers in the state and interacting with senior players like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the international stars featuring in the league, has helped youngsters.
UPT20 started on August 30, 2023, with finals and the closing ceremony scheduled to be held on September 16, 2023. Meerut Mavericks is one of the franchises in the tournament. Swastik scored a hat-trick of centuries in the tournament. With 373 runs in six matches, Swastik is the leading run-getter in the tournament so far. "The facilities being provided are really good. The presence of senior players has helped us. We are able to find out as youngsters that where we are lacking, at what level we are playing and what we can learn from our seniors. There is a lot we are getting to learn from our seniors," said Swastik to ANI on Thursday. "This league is beneficial. Now 5,000 people will know us instead of just 500. There is no better platform for UP Cricket than this league. This will benefit a lot of up-and-coming cricketers, especially those who are doing good," he added. Talking about his three centuries, Swastik said that it feels nice to have slammed a hat-trick of centuries. "My favourite was the third one. We were chasing a big total and it is difficult to score tons while doing so," he added. Talking about his teammate Rinku Singh, who recently made his India debut in T20I against Ireland following a blockbuster Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in which he scored 474 runs, Swastik said that he is a fan of his game and mind and there is nobody in middle-order who is better than him. "It feels nice to play with Rinku. He is a good person. I am a huge fan of his game and mind. When we used to see him on TV, we used to think about meeting him, but when you see him in real, he does not have any attitude and is humble. He does not see the bowler and sees the ball. He has told me to do the same, to take the game deep, and stay calm. That is what I am trying to do. He is going to have a great future. No better middle-order batter than him currently in India," said Swastik. On his dream Indian Premier League (IPL) side, he said that he would like to play for his home side, Lucknow Super Giants or else, Mumbai Indians. Talking about his dream captain to play under, Swastik said that he dreams to play under star India batter Virat Kohli. "He plays with full passion and dedication, and I like it," he concluded. (ANI)
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