Priyansh Arya, 6 Sixes Sensation, To Be Mentored by Ricky Ponting After Training Under Gautam Gambhir’s Coach

Priyansh Arya, 6 Sixes Sensation: Chopra, former Indian cricketer and now golfer, was playing a round with Yuvraj Singh somewhere in Delhi, when the latter was told by Chopra about a boy named Priyansh Arya, who had recently made a mark by hitting six sixes in an over during the competitive T20 tournament. And Yuvraj, being the same man known best for that, immediately taking out his cell phone, shot a short video message for the small lefty kid from Delhi.

Cut to November 2024. There was quite an eagerness from the franchises bidding for young Priyansh, who finally went to Punjab Kings for a sum of Rs 3.80 crore after a really fierce bidding war among Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

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Such a deal might be from the viewpoint of Priyansh's DPL coach Sarandeep Singh, who, as a head coach, will guard Delhi this domestic season. Sarandeep believes now that the 23-year-old would be fairly inclined toward chasing that India dream having sealed an IPL contract. He would also mention why Priyansh was like Yuvraj to him.

"I know Priyansh’s capabilities. The way he hits the ball is amazing. He’s a clean striker of the ball and makes batting look so easy. After Yuvraj Singh, if I’ve seen anyone with such clean hitting, it’s Priyansh Arya. He’s a class batter. Those six sixes gave him a distinct identity. I called him after the match because I was worried he might get carried away with the fame at such a young age. I told him, ‘This is T20 cricket. Today is your day, but tomorrow it could be someone else’s. Don’t let these things get to your head,’" Sarandeep tells TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.

Well, Priyansh has made a century against Uttar Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and soon he will be in that dressing room with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis, and head coach Ricky Ponting at Punjab Kings. According to Sarandeep, this will be a great guidance for the youngster.

"He will learn a lot under the guidance of the legendary Ricky Ponting, a great cricketing mind. His ultimate aim is to play for India, and I always tell him that while many cricketers play for India, what truly matters is how long you can sustain yourself at that level. You need to stay calm, focused, and love the sport. Sharing the dressing room with Ponting and other seniors will help him take his game to another level," adds Sarandeep.

He shares an interesting story on how Yuvraj reacted to Priyansh hitting the same six-sixes-in-an-over mayhem.

"I’ve told Yuvraj about Priyansh, and Yuvi knows about him too. We met at an event, and Yuvi asked me, 'Who is this guy Priyansh' I told him, ‘Bhai, he’s like you. He destroys bowlers and has hit six sixes in an over.’ Yuvi said he’s following Priyansh’s progress and conveyed a message to him: ‘Work hard and don’t let success get to your head,’" reveals Sarandeep.

Priyansh accumulated 222 runs and emerged as the leading run-getter for Delhi during the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, having appeared in seven innings with an average of 31.71 and a strike rate of 166.91. This season too, he continued to hit great form with an impressive 102 in his opening match against Uttar Pradesh. The innings included 5 four's and 10 sixes and was, again, against a great bowling lineup of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Piyush Chawla, and Shivam Mavi.

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In an earlier chat with TOI.com, Priyansh had acknowledged that it was Virat Kohli who inspired him towards a more aggressive style of playing, while Gautam Gambhir shaped the hard-hitting batting style.

"I was very happy when my name was mentioned alongside the legend Yuvraj Singh. Yuvraj sir has played a lot of cricket for India and has been a match-winner for the country. I admire him greatly. My self-belief skyrocketed after achieving this feat. I take inspiration from Virat bhaiya because I like his aggression and attitude on the field. He reflects both in his batting as well. I look up to him. As a kid, I trained at Gautam Gambhir's academy. I have followed him a lot since childhood. I’ve watched countless batting videos of both Virat bhaiya and Gautam bhaiya, and I’ve learned so much from them," Priyansh had said.

"I used to stand behind the nets at the LB Shastri Cricket Academy just to watch Gautam bhaiya bat," the left-hander added.

Later, India's T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, also sent a message to Priyansh for his fantastic feat after that record-breaking innings.

"Suryakumar Yadav messaged me and said ‘Believe in yourself and keep the hard-hitting going. Well done’," the youngster said.

Since Priyansh is only at the beginning stages of his career, he would like to have a career that extends as far as his sixes fly, as he is a very clean hitter of the ball.

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