Gulfam Saleh: The young cricketer from Vizag who’s creating ripples in the local fraternities

A nobleman once described cricket as one of the deadliest sports on the planet. This description, however, seems to be ridiculed by some proficient players who make the game look quite effortless. Gulfam Saleh is one such fine cricketer from Visakhapatnam.

The 21-year-old, who’s currently pursuing his degree from Bullaya College, Visakhapatnam, has been creating ripples in the local fraternities with his cricketing prowess. He has even hit six consecutive sixes in an over in a recently concluded local tournament.

How it all began?

Gulfaam says being born in a cricket-loving-nation has certainly played a part in making him love the sport. Fascinated by the game, he took up cricketing at quite a young age. In fact, Gulfaam was just three years old when he first picked up a cricket bat. The youngster was then, unfortunately, diagnosed with some medical issues and had to restrain from playing the game for a considerable amount of time.

Hitting it sweet

However, after recovering, Gulfaam, under the guidance of his coach, BP Srinivas, started taking major strides in his career. Having played nationals in the ‘School Games Federation of India’ Season 2011-2012 at Wankhede in Mumbai, he was also included in the state under-19 knockouts.

Challenges in Cricket

Gulfaam says that cricket is certainly one of the most challenging games to play. He feels that it is a combination of reflexes and practice that determine how effective a batsman can be. This, along with the fact that there’s no scope for any predictability in the game, makes cricket extremely demanding.

Favourite Players

This budding cricketer is a big fan of India’s Ajinkya Rahane and South Africa’s AB de Villiers. It is Rahane’s dedication and AB’s consistency that draw Gulfaam towards these superstars. He adores their passion both on and off the field. In fact, he even yearns to play the 360-degree shots of AB de Villiers!

Cricketing Fascinations

Much similar to any cricketer, Gulfaam longs of scoring a hundred and getting his name on the Lord’s Honours Board. He even wants to play a fiery Dale Steyn so as to get a superlative satisfaction of facing the bowling of highest quality.

Road Ahead

Currently, Gulfaam is gearing to throw caution to the winds in the upcoming Andhra Premier League (APL). Eventually, the young lad plans to play at the Ranji level and possibly make his IPL debut before making it big and fulfill his father’s dream of seeing him play for India.