Dubai: Fifteen-year-old Shoun Roger who recently bagged the Emirates Cricket Board’s UAE Academy Cricket Under-17 League’s best batsman award carried his form to India and has hit a double century to break a state U16 tournament record at the Thodupuzha Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Ground.
Roger, who was a Grade 9 student of Our Own English High School Sharjah until recently, hit 205 runs off 159 balls with 27 boundaries and seven sixes for Thiruvananthapuram District team against Alappuzha. He partnered with Niranjan V Dev, who hit 119 off 184 balls to be involved in a 322 run partnership for the third wicket. This partnership broke the state record set by Kerala’s Indian Premier League star player Sanju Samson and S. Bharat’s record set in district matches nearly eight years ago.
Riding on the huge partnership Thiruvananthapuram defeated Alappuzha by an innings and 265 runs.
Roger, who had represented Kerala junior state last year while studying here with special permission from KCA to include a non-resident Indian, has now shifted to India for his studies. He has already piled up 461 runs and taken 21 wickets in the U16 district matches with one more match to be completed.
Speaking to Gulf News, Roger said: “I am delighted to have hit a double century in my home state tournament. It was one of my best knocks and has motivated me to play more such knocks in the future. I am thankful to all my coaches and family for all the support they have given me to pursue my dreams in cricket.”
Roger had scored 620 runs with five half-centuries and a century in the Emirates Cricket Board’s UAE Academy Cricket U17 League and also scored 373 runs including four half-centuries and one century to bag the prestigious Man of the Series award in the Elite School League conducted by former Indian all-rounder turned coach Robin Singh’s Sports Academy in Ajman.
In February, Roger said he had received some invaluable advice from India’s legendary wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani who was in Ajman. “When you take the bat, tell yourself I am not giving my wicket to anyone,” Kirmani had told him.
It looks like Roger is following Kirmani’s advice earnestly.
