Enaan hopes Indian U-19 call-up is the start of a great journey

KOCHI: Five years back, Shanavas Moiduttywho was working at Dubai Airport then, sent his wife and kids back to native Kerala after his eldest son, Mohd Enaangot selected for the Thrissur District U-14 team. Shanavas was acting on the advice of coaches, who felt that Enaan had the potential to become a good cricketer if he received systematic training under a good coach in India.
On Saturday, Enaan took the first step towards realizing his potential when he was included in both the India U-19 one-day and four-day teams that will take on Australia U-19 in a home series starting on September 21.
A leg-spinning allrounder, Enaan claimed 24 wickets and scored more than 200 runs from four matches in the Cooch Behar Trophy last season, which included a fiver and an 83 against Rajasthan. “I was selected for a zonal U-19 camp at NCA in Bengaluru in April-May after the Cooch Behar Trophy. I did reasonably well at the camp and was hopeful of a call-up to the national junior team,” said the first – year degree student of Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur.
Enaan began his career in Dubai as a fast bowler but switched to leg-spin on the advice of his first coach, Paramjit Singh. For the last four years, he has been training under the tutelage of former Kerala captain and coach P Balachandran at the Athreya Cricket Academy in Mundur, Thrissur.
“Enaan is very committed to the game and has a great work ethic. He is tall and makes use of his height while bowling to extract bounce from the pitch. At his age, he has great control over his deliveries for a leg-spinner. He is also very handy with the bat and has all the makings of a future star,” Balachandran said.
Enaan, who idolises Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, says that he has been trying to improve both with the bat and the ball with each passing season. “I have developed a slider and a googly, which has made me a confident bowler. As a cricketer, the dream is always to play for the Indian senior team, but I know I still have a long way to go,” said the lad from Punnayurkulam in Thrissur.