Switching to T20 is no big deal: Armaan Jaffer

Armaan Jaffer was just another Mumbai cricketer, till he amassed a mammoth 498 in schools cricket back in 2010 at the tender age of 12. Best known for that knock, he has plenty more under his belt.

In the years since, Jaffer has been a Mumbai junior regular and was a member of the Under-19 World Cup team in Bangladesh two months back.

And he is now a part of the Indian Premier League, earning a Kings XI cap.

“Since that record 498, my journey has been absolutely wonderful. I have already represented India (in Under-19 cricket) and now have earned the opportunity to play alongside modern greats — Indians as well as overseas players,” Armaan told this paper.

“I have got to learn to prepare myself for big matches. I really want to take this to the next level and hopefully can play in the Ranji Trophy and then for India soon. I do not have to make any massive adjustments as far as switching from the ‘Test mode to the T20 style’ is concerned. It’s no big deal. I’ll just need a little bit of practice and I know I’ll be there.”

Having batting stars like Virender Sehwag, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell and Murali Vijay around is such an inspiration. So, how much of a help are they

Says the 17-year-old, “I am glad to share the same dressing room. I am getting a lot to learn from them. I have been watching them from close qaurters and trying to learn the nuances of batting. They are getting along well with me.”

Armaan’s preference is Test cricket. “Though I like to play in all forms of the game and certainly T20 as this is a part of it all, Test cricket is what I prefer above all. I would love to wear the India Test cap.”

Armaan has a famous uncle in Wasim Jaffer and one would expect the youngster must have got an opportunity to learn a thing or two about batting from him. “No!”, says Armaan. “I have not been so lucky to have talked to him (about batting).”