By Nick Creely
Cranbourne youngster Nivin Sathyajith not only possesses match winning talent with either bat or ball, but he’s already got a mature head on his shoulders.
The 17-year-old all-rounder is taking everything in his stride with a refreshing amount of humility during the 2017/18 cricket season, with his name starting to become known in not only the DDCA, but by the Victorian selectors.
Nivin’s season has been a whirlwind, with junior and senior cricket at the Eagles, a game with Devon Meadows in the WGCA, Under 17 representation with Northern Territory (NT) at the National Championships in late September, and finally captaining the Southern Pioneers in the recent Under 18 Male State Championships.
“It’s been a huge year for me, breaking into the national comps and doing well there, and club cricket is going really well – I’ve got some Turf 1 fifties under my belt, and it’s been a huge improvement on the last couple of years,” he said.
The all-rounder struck 189 runs at 31.5 for NT (with a highest score of 68) and took 9 wickets at 23.7, in a carnival that almost wasn’t after missing out on Victorian selection.
“They pick a trial squad to select the Victorian team, and when they announced the team, I wasn’t in it – for a week, I was really shattered, and then I got the call from the Under 17 coach saying they wanted me to play for Northern Territory,” he explained.
“It was the best news of my cricketing career – I felt like I made the most of my opportunities.”
While he continues his development at Cranbourne in Turf 1 cricket – where he has already struck two half centuries this year – Nivin is still trying to work out the balance between bat and ball, looking at a famous South African as inspiration.
“I like to do a bit of both (batting and bowling) – in Twenty20 cricket especially, it’s important to have both skills, but I’d consider myself a batting all-rounder at the moment, but I enjoy both facets,” he said.
“In the long run, I would like to slot into the top order, and then bowling as well if needed, but batting is my strength.
“Ever since I was little, Jacques Kallis is the player I’ve probably looked up to, he’s the idol for what I want to do.”
Leadership is also another aspect of the youngster’s game that continues to evolve, with his recent experience as captain of the Southern Pioneers a raging success despite some tough results.
In the four games, Nivin struck 149 runs at 37.3, including a brilliant 84 opening the batting in the final game against Barwon.
“It was a good challenge and a great learning curve for me – I improved as a leader, and picked up a lot of little things along the way,” he said.
“Being a captain as a bottom ager means I’ve got another year ahead of me, and I’ll try and take it a step further with the Southern Pioneers.
“It’s a good competition – but when you’re playing Turf 1 cricket, you’ve got big men running at you, and the difference is that everyone’s kind of got the same frame as you.”
But for now, it’s back to club cricket for the rest of the season with the Eagles, who are rebuilding from the ground up after the losses of premiership heroes Steven Spoljaric and Matthew Chasemore.
“Most of the blokes have probably taken it as a blessing (Spoljaric and Chasemore leaving), rather than a negative – the club is heading down the right path, despite the stats,” he said.
“There are a couple of kids coming through – Cranbourne’s producing some quality players, we’ve got some young blokes playing high grades.
“The future at the club looks really, really good to me – this year has been a development year, but in years to come, we’ll be a powerhouse once again.
“Our coach, Funky Miller, has done a wonderful job to get the club to where it is – I miss guys like Chasemore because I did get a lot of information from him, but he’s at Berwick now, and we’re doing just fine.
“I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed playing under Lucas Ligt – he’s a pleasure to be around, and a great bloke for our club.
“I want to do as much as I can for Cranbourne, and try and help them win games.”
