Chirag Suri showed why the IPL’s Gujarat Lions signed him up last season, as he was named this year’s Red Bull Campus Cricket batsman of the tournament.
The UAE star scored an impressive 202 runs in four games as he helped Heriot-Watt University (HWU) claim their fourth straight Red Bull Campus Cricket title.
Speaking to Sport 360, the 23-year-old praised the tournament’s standards, which is attracting more attention from cricket’s big leagues. “It’s getting better by the year and the level of cricket is definitely improving”, he said. “The event has become less predictable with some shock results in there this year. Manipal have a lot of good young players, which is always good to see coming through too”.
Despite picking up an individual award, Suri maintained the overall result is most important and the job is only half done, as his side now head to Sri Lanka for the World Finals – where they play the best university sides the globe has to offer. “When you’re a batsman the team depends on you a lot and its important that you play the ball as it comes”, he added.
“You can’t get complacent in these games as it only takes one good ball or one bad shot and you’re out so you have to be really on the ball. It’s a great feeling to win the award and I’m obviously happy to contribute and to see the team go on into the final stages of what is a big tournament. We always look forward to this tournament and we’re glad to win, and we’re the only team to win a Campus Cricket event four times in a row around the world”.
Suri played a pivotal part in his team’s success over the three-day event but maintains results are down to the team. “I had two games where I wasn’t out and I got some good runs, so 202 [runs] in four games isn’t too bad. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter about the numbers and stats, it’s more about the team going through. Some of the stats don’t always represent the true nature of the game either so the main thing is the team has advanced”.
HWU will now compete in the World Finals in Sri Lanka on September 21st.