Boys' cricket different from men's, says Ishan Porel

KOLKATA: Young Ishan Porel received a hero's welcome on his return to the city on Tuesday morning. It has been three days since the India Under-19 team lifted the World Cup that had made Porel a household name in Bengal.
The pacer, however, did not feel that life has changed a lot for him. "Only difference is, more people are recognising me now," he said on Tuesday.After a superb show in New Zealand, Porel is aware of the fact that people will expect more from him in the coming days.
"I have learnt how to handle pressure from Rahul (Dravid) sir, so that is not an issue for me. It will only motivate me to do better in future," he stated. "It's nice to see people coming up and congratulating me, but, I know, I have a long way to go and am now preparing myself for that journey. I know boys' cricket and men's cricket are totally different."
Thanking the support staff who helped him to recover after suffering an injury during the first match, Porel said "There were some great lessons learnt like teamwork, how to come out of pressure, bounce back from injury, to become strong mentally. I felt I would not be able to play the rest of the tournament. But all the seniors said don't worry you will make a comeback."
Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey took good care of him when Porel returned for the quarterfinal match against Bangladesh. "He (Paras) told me not to bowl very fast. Rather he suggested I should try to keep my rhythm and bowl the right line and length," he remarked.
Talking about coach Dravid, Porel revealed how the former Indian skipper had boosted his confidence by predicting a bright future for him. Dravid had also advised him to be cautious about his diet. "I will go to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for rehabilitation where I will also get my diet chart prepared," the Class XII student said.
The 19-year-old is not disappointed at missing out on a berth in IPL. "It's up to the teams to pick a player. I cannot comment on that. But playing a Test for India has always been priority for me. I am nurturing this dream from my childhood," he said.
Although named in the Bengal Vijay Hazare Trophy squad, Porel will be giving the ongoing domestic One-day competition a miss. "Rahul sir has spoken to Sourav sir (Ganguly) about my injury. After a week or so, I will have to go to the NCA for rehab," he said.