He was also playing a little at the domestic level, but family responsibilities were pushing him towards studies instead of sports, so that he could make a secure career. He left cricket, studied Ayurveda and also became a doctor, but the regret of not becoming a cricketer remained in his mind. He decided to fulfill this dream through his son Uday and left no stone unturned in this endeavour.
His dedication and the hard work of his son Uday paid off when on Tuesday, Uday played a captaincy innings and helped India reach the final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup.
In Sriganganagar, the entire family of Uday Saharan and the entire city were engulfed in waves of happiness, while this success of the Indian junior team was appreciated all over India.
India faced South Africa in the semi-finals of the tournament. The Indian team had a target of 245 to win but when Uday came to bat, the first two wickets had fallen for only 8 runs. He had the responsibility of handling the innings, but wickets were falling from the other end in front of tremendous pace bowling. Soon the Indian team lost four wickets for 32 runs in the 12th over.
From here victory seemed difficult, but Uday did not give up. Along with fellow player Sachin Dhas, he gradually took the innings forward. Sachin Dhas, who got his name after Sachin Tendulkar, also bats aggressively and decorated the innings with fours and sixes.
On the other end, Uday was taking the entire pressure on himself and kept changing ends by taking singles. If the ball had come easier, he would have hit fours but this innings was full of patience. He would repeatedly go to Sachin and talk to him about staying longer. Together they made a partnership of 174 runs and Sachin was out after scoring 96 runs.
Uday held on in the last overs and was run out just one run away from victory, but by then victory was in India's lap as the team achieved the target without losing any more wickets.
Everyone has praised Uday Saharan's mature innings under pressure. But his father, who was watching the match on TV in Sriganganagar, was confident that Uday would win the match.
He told news agency PTI, Uday had leadership qualities since childhood. He used to play responsibly. Whenever I taught him any technique, he used to learn it and teach it to his fellow players as well. Uday himself also gave the credit for the victory to his father.
Born on April 4, 2004 in Sriganganagar, Uday Saharan started taking cricket seriously by the time he was 12 years old. His father had by then become the level one coach of BCCI. He was the one who gave initial training to Uday.
Sanjeev, who played domestic cricket in his time, was considered the Gavaskar of the team because of his strong batting technique. He also laid the foundation of strong technology in Uday. Sanjeev also taught Uday how to take the match till the end and not to give up even in adverse circumstances.
Uday learned that when one or two runs can be made from each ball, there is no need to hit sixes and boundaries will also be hit when needed. By the age of 14, he was sent to Punjab for better coaching. From Punjab itself, Uday made a place in the Indian Under-19 team by playing Under-14, then Under-16 and Under-19.
Punjab's Ranji captain Mandeep Singh said in an interview to a newspaper, His understanding of the game is very good. He not only used to participate in training with his seniors but also wanted to be top in all matters. He is talented." That's why he is playing in Under-19 but apart from this, he has a different quality that he is never satisfied with himself.
Former Test cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra is also impressed by Uday Saharan's technique and leadership.
Before the start of the Under-19 World Cup, he said in a program on Jio Cinema, Uday's father has helped him a lot in his career and Punjab Cricket has also paid a lot of attention to him. He is a great batsman at number four or five. Recently, in the series between South Africa, Afghanistan and India, he played brilliantly and also scored a century. He plays with patience and is a good stroke player. He is a complete batsman.
Uday has performed brilliantly in the Under-19 World Cup. He has scored one century and 3 half-centuries so far and is the highest run scorer of the tournament. He bats steady, is consistent, runs quickly between the wickets and plays risk-free cricket.
Overall, Saharan is an ideal batsman for the number 4 position in a 50 overs match. In this Indian team, the batting innings of Mushir and Sachin Dhaas may have looked more attractive but the backbone of the Indian team's victory is Uday Saharan.
He not only scores his own runs but also encourages his fellow batsmen to play longer. As captain, Saharan has hardly taken any wrong step on the field. His field placements have been aggressive and the changes in bowling have also been decisive. In the Under-19 tournament, such stable leadership and efficient captaincy has not been seen in other teams.
Another special thing in this tournament has been the pair of Uday and Sachin who have played two big partnerships. Uday told ICC TV about what it is like to bat with Sachin, "I feel very good playing with Sachin because his thinking is positive. This helps me too.
Sachin is always looking to hit boundaries, this reduces the pressure on me too. We keep changing ends by taking one or two runs and try to take the match till the last over. When we stand together So the thinking is that we have to play till the end and come back after finishing the match.
Sachin also believes that Uday has a big role in his innings because he does not let others come under pressure.
The Indian Under-19 team is just one step away from winning the trophy. If the team is able to do this, then Uday Saharan will join the famous club of players like Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Unmukt Chand, Prithvi Shaw and Yash Dhull, under whose leadership India has won this tournament earlier. Uday knows that there is only one match left and he is ready for the biggest challenge of his career.
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