‘My father had to sell off all his land’ – India U19 star Kartik Tyagi turns the clock back to struggling days

Kartik Tyagi hasn’t set the U19 World Cup on fire, but has played a key role for India in their road to the final. The speedster has 11 wickets and would be required one last time to deliver against Bangladesh on Sunday, February 9 at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom. While the speedster is taking baby steps in the sport, his journey thus far has been a roller-coaster ride.

Back in 2017, at the age of 16, Kartik made his first-class debut for Uttar Pradesh in their match against Railways. But then, the Hapur-born developed a couple of injuries that turned detrimental in his career. To add to his agony, his father had to sell of 2.5 acres of farming land in village Dhanora, West UP. He even sustained a side strain before the World Cup, but he recovered in time.

We started running out of money: Kartik Tyagi

“I fractured my leg while playing football during warm-up on the match day. Then I developed an injury in my pelvic bone,” Kartik was quoted as saying to the Times of India (TOI) from Potchefstroom.

“We ran from pillar to post for my treatment. We started running out of money. After five months, I asked the UPCA to recommend me to the NCA. It took me another six months to start cricket and by then my father had to sell off all his land,” he added.

Wary of his injury in 2017, Kartik stays away from football and anything and everything that hinders his playing career. “I don’t play football anymore. I stay out of any other sport that team plays during warm-ups,” the Young Turk stated.

Kartik remembers Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s debut where the pacer rattled the Pakistan batting with his ability to jag the leather. However, Tyagi prefers to model himself on former Australian speedster Brett Lee. What impresses Kartik about Lee is his ability to generate swing at sheer pace.

“I was in awe of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ability to swing it right during his dream spell on debut against Pakistan in 2012. But I love watching Brett Lee’s videos. He had finished playing when I took up cricket but everything is online. I like the way he bowled consistently at that pace and swung it too,” Tyagi added.