Committed to cricket

For 17-year-old Hyderabad all-rounder Khushal Jilla it has been a busy cricketing season 2005, playing in under-17 and under-19 tournaments not only in Hyderabad but in places as far distant as Delhi, Calcutta, Visakhapatnam, Madras, Trivandrum…

Selected for the South Zone under-19 team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Calcutta in November 2005, Jilla has also represented Hyderabad in the prestigious Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup Cricket tournament in Hyderabad in September and the Mindtech Buchi Babu Invitational Cup Cricket tournament in Madras in August. In the 33 matches he played in the 2005 season, Jilla scored 838 runs, with eight 50s and a highest score of 82 not out and has taken 78 wickets. He captained the state under-17 team for the three-day V. Pattabhi­raman Trophy played in the format of a knockout tournament, as per his bio data.

Currently a twelfth standard student at the St John’s Church Junior College, Secunderabad, Jilla’s busy cricketing schedule barely leaves room for study. "Traveling, tournaments, matches or practice take up most of my time,” he says. "I have a bike now and go about on my own, but earlier my father Parvez used to spend a lot of his time taking me for practice. He would sit and watch and give me tips based on his cricketing knowledge. My mother Vemuri Sesha sai and my sister Neelima also give great support.”

Jilla is looking for sponsorships to help develop his cricketing skills. "I consider batting to be my strength and I bowl left arm orthodox spin,” he explains. "I enjoy captaincy and do not find it stressful. We plan our strategy and tactics, but on-field decisions may turn out to be different. We cannot be satisfied or complacent. We constantly aim to progress further.”