Pune: Vicky Ostwal used to play cricket as an amateur in Maharashtra’s hill station Lonavala but coach Mohan Jadhav after seeing his talent suggested his father to move to Pune, after which the Indian U-19 player did not look back. The left-arm spinner scripted India’s victory with a five-wicket haul against South Africa in the opening match of the ICC Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies.
This performance for the national team is the result of his parents’ prayers and sacrifices. His coach Mohan Jadhav told PTI on Monday, “This boy is a resident of Lonavala. Initially, he went to Mumbai at the age of nine to play cricket at the Vengsarkar Academy. Then when he was 10 years old he came to the branch of Vengsarkar Academy in Thergaon. He said, “From there his journey began. The reason for relocating to Pune was that Lonavala does not come under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). It comes under the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MACA).”
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The 19-year-old also played an important role in India’s Under-19 Asia Cup victory. He took three wickets against Sri Lanka in the final. Jadhav said, “Her father and he (Ostawal) traveled by local train for three to four years. His father had taken special permission to pick him up early from school and then used to travel to Chinchwad by train from Lonavala. It took them at least an hour and a half. Altogether they used to travel for three hours a day.”
Jadhav then felt that shifting to someplace near the academy would save his travel time. “We requested the family to stay near Pune and they agreed to it. This made him to practice giving more attention and time.” (agency)