When Sunil Narine inspired a young Aussie spinner

Arjun, with roots in Ernakulam, Kerala, was born in Canberra. His father, Jay Nair, is a businessman while his mother is a banker. Arjun’s biggest influence is his father who spent hours with him practising in their house.  However, Arjun has broken the conventional coaching barrier. 

The New South Wales player was ready after learning the nuances of finger-spin bowling, watching spin wizards Sunil Narine and Ravichandran Ashwin’s videos on YouTube. Arjun was impressed with spin and subsequently copied bowling the doosra from Narine. “The first time I saw him bowl, I realised there was something different. I started watching Narine’s videos and practised with my dad in my backyard in Sydney,” Arjun said, on the sidelines of a practice session at the MRF Pace Foundation.   With Narine embroiled in a suspect-action, the 17-year old was quick to react. “I only copied his grip, more importantly on the carrom ball. 

The action and run-up are mine,” he said.”  Indian spin spearhead Ashwin, too had an influence on Arjun. “It was his carrom ball that I have taken note of. The way Ashwin and I bowl the carrom ball is different. Ashwin uses only one finger to spin the ball,” he added.  Arjun doesn’t mind being reminded of Warne’s feat. “It is fantastic that he has set a high standard. It is obvious that the expectations will be high. He has a good influence on the pitch and all upcoming bowlers strive to reach that benchmark,” Arjun added.  

However, Arjun’s best compliment came from Cricket Australia’s national talent manager, Greg Chappell. “He asked me to work harder and pointed that my fielding, batting and bowling abilities are good,” he added.