Winning captain of RG Baruah U-16 Prashant Kumar in a candid talk with Dr. Himabrata Das

In conversation with the winning captain of the prestigious RG Baruah U-16 Inter District Tournament Prashant Kumar, I am fascinated by the youngster’s thoughts on captaincy and leadership. To the timeless question of whether a captain is born or made, Prashant reckons that captains are made elaborating, ”You can be a good leader only if your team is focussed. You need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates. You also need the support of all your teammates and they need to pitch in with their ideas so that you have alternatives in case your plan ‘A’ doesn’t work on the field. Also one of the most important things is to be able to trust your teammates.”

“I enjoy the fact that as captain I have to play responsibly. People talk about the added pressure that comes along with captaincy. I agree that when you play alongside quality players, such as, Raihanda, Samikda and Mosarobda, there’s an element of pressure. Thankfully the going is easier at our junior level. I believe you can’t make everyone the captain; the best batsman or the best bowler in the side might not make the best captain. In my opinion, the captain needs to assess the match situation better than the rest and also needs to make incisive decisions and of course has to trust his players more than he trusts himself”, adds Prashant.

On whether the captain can be friends with his teammates, the wicket keeper- batsman says, ”I and Sudip would entertain the entire group, but we used to stay serious during practice and once the match got underway. On the role of coaches, the young sensation says, ”Coaches would ask us to go to their rooms before the match and we would have an exchange of ideas. Both the coaches have been great for us with their emphasis on discipline and fitness. Soumitra Sir had a lot of hope and belief in me and I am so pleased that I could give my best for the team. Staying friendly with others and also being rooted are the best ways of communicating. Our coaches are firm believers in hard work and Soumitra Sir always exemplifies the adage, ”Less talk, more work”. Both of them worked so hard on my keeping for 10-15 days that it reflected all throughout the tournament.

To my question on generation gap, the dynamic right-hander tells me of the strong influence his father has had on him. He can share everything with his father and the proud father strengthens him as an individual. Generation gap is something that the rising star hasn’t quite experienced. One of his father’s pearls of advice Prashant abides by, ”Aap kisi se aur kabhi bhi seekh sakte ho; zaruri nahi hae ki bade hi acche sikhaye” (You could pick up something precious from anyone in life; there’s no reason to believe that someone elder than you will be an expert simply by dint of his seniority).

We talk about the thrilling last over of the recently held BPL final and Prashant tells me his strategies to read spin, his favourite cricketers and how he learns from failures before the curtains come down on an enriching interaction. Blessed are those who receive inspiration from their fathers and tenacity from their prefectors. With the right temperament and an abundance of talent, Prashant has the potential to be the “Pacific” that Silchar cricket has been scouting for.