Pratham Singh

Pratham Singh, an upcoming left-handed opening batsman of Railways has been quite sensational in domestic cricket of India. Born in the Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Pratham has been chosen for this format’s India-A Duleep Trophy team because of excellent performance and the absence of first-team players Shubhman Gill who will play in the first Test match against Bangladesh. His call up in the team can described as a budding tendency of being a key batsman in the team especially in crunch moments.

Early Life and Background

Pratham Singh was born on 31st August 1992 in Ashrafpur Majgawan, a village of Jalalpur tehsil of Ambedkar Nagar district of India. His parents are also well educated with his father born in February 1955 and his mother in July 1956 His grandfather named Anirudh Singh was a noted educationist. This was the academic environment under which Pratham was brought up; however, he had the passion for cricket right from his childhood. He decided to shift to Delhi where he is still living now, to play cricket and along with his studies.
Pratham finished his Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication in J. S. S. Academy of Technical Education in the year 2015. But, then again, his passion belonged in cricket and leaving no stone unturned he struggled to make his mark in the already scaled down Indian domestic cricket scene.

Balancing Education and Cricket

Indian cricket prodigy Pratham has recently been accepted at the high ranking Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad to pursue a post graduate program in the year 2022, though he deferred it to concentrate on cricket only. Balancing cricket and academics is quite challenging, and quite rightly so, Pratham has done a great job. However, he did not stop playing for his team even when he was attending the one-year course that he was undertaking; it is evident that every time management is essential, especially regarding courses and teams.

“Since we are doing a one-year course, it has become doubly difficult,” Pratham said during a media interaction. “There are exams every two weeks, and I go there. I was training, studying, and attending my classes simultaneously. There is no exemption for attendance in college—you have to maintain 80 percent attendance. To be honest, the last ten months have been very tough for me. I started my course in April, and since then, it has been non-stop.”

Also read :Ishan Kishan: The Young Prodigy of Indian Cricket

Cricketing Journey and Achievements

Pratham Singh started playing cricket professionally in the year 2017 he played List A cricket for Railways team in Vijay Hazare Trophy of 2016-17 season. With less time, his performances astonished everybody and selectors looked at him, and he became an important player of the Railways team. His technical accuracy and skills to build a steady flow of runs and his performance in different match situations makes Pratham one of the most outstanding players in the domestic cricket.
He in the IPL auction of 2017 by Gujarat Lions to be a part of Pratham. This was a major plus in his career, as playing in the IPL come with the pressure of big matches and even the crease to learn from some of the best players. His stint with the Gujarat Lions helped him gain that exposure as well as the required experience in order to participate in the competitive cricket.

In domestic cricket, Pratham kept on performing very well and finally got a chance to play first-class cricket for the Railways in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy on 9th November 2017. He also has played T20 format in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during the 2018-19 season. He came of age as one of the most dependable batsmen of Railways and proved that he can score big in all forms of the game.
The high point in Pratham’s performance in the domestic cricket came in 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he was the third highest run getter scoring 438 runs in 10 innings with a commendable average of 54. 75. There is no doubt that this led Railways to several success, and he went on expanding his status as a regular opener.
In the previous Vijay Hazare Trophy 2020-21, Pratham became the leading run-maker for Railways with 299 runs to his name including the best knock of 127 against Karnataka at an astonishing average of 74. 75. He Save big runs at strategic stage of matches that made him earn reputation of being a resilient and mentally strong individual.

Likewise, Pratham played a brilliant knock in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he made four consecutive fifty’s, a record. All these consistent performances in the domestic cricket helped him gain the attention and was picked into the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 2022 IPL auction for INR 20 lakhs. Published in the IPL for KKR plainly it gave Pratham a chance to demonstrate himself on a higher level and take advantage of studying knowledgeable players in the event.
CONTEMPORARY FORM AND SELECTION FOR INDIA-A
A all round performance by Pratham Singh in his current form he is one of the prospects to make it to India-A Duleep Trophy team. Though he is included in the squad because he is not in the team’s senior players, probably due to his hard work, perseverance and continuity in his performances. I was positively impressed by Pratham Kumbhare who opened the innings for his team, he is a weapon that can play both fluently and steadily.
Pratham said that he was glad to represent India-A in the Duleep Trophy match saying, “I hope to do well for the team this time around Mayweather maybe, I will be able to take further my railway team from here, But, I’ll for sure do well for the Duleep Trophy.
He is very eager to perform well and his selection is considered as a first step to bigger and better things in the future, and other national team break chances.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Many challenges have however been faced in Pratham’s journey. Management of time between academics and a professional career in cricket is a challenge and there have been a number of challenges in this case as well. But this has not deterred him in any way since he approaches every challenge with true hard work and focus on the game of cricket..

As he moves forward, Pratham Singh aims to maintain his form and keep pushing for higher honors. His journey from the small village of Ashrafpur Majgawan to representing India-A is an inspiring story of talent, hard work, and resilience. With his skill set and mindset, Pratham is poised to achieve even greater success in the coming years.

Pratham Singh’s story is a testament to the importance of balancing passion with dedication. His ability to manage his academic pursuits alongside a flourishing cricket career serves as an inspiration for aspiring cricketers across the country. As he continues to perform at the highest level, Pratham Singh is undoubtedly a player to watch in the future of Indian cricket.