IT WAS his training stint at Nagpur Cricket Academy (NCA) that changed his thinking and approach towards the game of cricket. That training under the watchful eyes of NCA Director Madhav Bakre and Pradeep Kumar Yadav, changed Nagpur’s Akshay Puri as a cricketer and that helped him don Singapore colours in T20 Internationals. A decent right-arm off-break bowler, Akshay is gradually making his presence felt in the Singaporean national team. Till date, 19-year-old Akshay has represented Singapore in 17 T20 Internationals and has collected 13 scalps. His best performance in T20 World Cup qualifiers till now is four wickets in as many matches. In 2022 Asia Cup qualifiers, Akshay showcased his skills by securing four wickets in three matches.

 

His best figures in T20Is stand at an impressive 3-26 against Papua New Guinea. A former resident of Dhantoli, Akshay, then six, shifted to Singapore with his father Roopak, who works in the Merchant Navy. Like any other Indian, the Puri family loved cricket. “My family and I would often gather around the television to watch cricket, especially my grandmother, and it was during that time that my fascination with this sport began. I have vivid memories of playing cricket with my cousins in the backyard with plastic balls,” said the bespectacled Akshay while talking with ‘The Hitavada’.

 

Akshay started playing cricket for his school in Singapore and got selected in Under-16 national team. To pursue his dream of playing for the senior side, he decided to undergo training in India. Without any hitch he joined Nagpur Cricket Academy where he received invaluable guidance from Bakre and Yadav. Akshay claims that his one month training at NCA transformed him. He credits the guidance he got at NCA played a huge part in shaping his cricketing career. “I realised that if I continue on this path of regular training, and stick to these procedures and mechanism that I was introduced to at the Nagpur Cricket Academy, I could really make it far,” Akshay stated.

 

Akshay is also good at studies and is juggling academics and cricket quite well. “If you want it to happen, there’s always a way. Juggling academic commitments and your passion could be difficult, but it’s certainly not impossible. I excelled in the International Baccalaureate diploma programme, attaining 45 out of 45 marks. “I accomplished this feat while wholeheartedly pursuing my passion for cricket,” concluded Akshay.