INDORE: People in small town Petlawad of tribal-dominated Jhabua district see another 'Sachin' growing in 19-year-old Sachin Pipada, who has become talk of the town.
Several coaches have pinned all their hopes on him following his spectacular cricketing talent in the last three months.
They have been grooming him hard for a DD Sports live cricket tournament to be held on October 2 in Jaipur.
"He is sheer raw talent. We have polished him up slightly. He has a command over the game and is an aggressive player," said his coach Himanshu Bairagi.
Though Pipada has never met Sachin Tendulkar, he idolises him and hopes to meet him one day.
"Every one who loves cricket idolises Sachin Tendulkar. I have never met him but when people hoot my name, I feel confident. Mu name, Sachin, in itself is full of positive energy. It will be a dream come true if I get to meet him," Pipada told TOI.
A student of class XII, Pipada hails from Sarangi village where most people are in the dark about what professional cricket coaching is all about. In a village with a population of nearly 7,000 people, Pipada is an inspiration for many who now aim to follow the same path. "A lot needs to be done. I may belong to a small village but I aim high. It doesn't really matter where you come from it's the passion that counts. I am enthusiastic about playing cricket and will continue playing good matches. Place really doesn't matter when it comes passion. I am enthusiastic about playing cricket and will continue playing good matches. I am now being professionally coached in Indore. Unfortunately, I could not clear the final round of the MPCA trials but I will try better next time," Sachin added.
A passion for cricket is already in Pipada's blood.
Though not professionally, his father
Rakesh has been a die-hard cricket fan since childhood.
"I wanted to play professionally. But, my family did not allow me as my father wanted me to look after his restaurant business. Since then, I decided that I will never stop my son from following his passion. I found this inborn talent in Sachin for cricket and motivated him and with god's grace he is playing well," said Rakesh Pipada, Sachin's father.