Cricket: Our Sachin makes his mark

Sachin Variath regards his namesake, Sachin Tendulkar as a cricket god, and hopes to meet him one day. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Sachin was born to score runs. And, we are not just talking Tendulkar here.

Sri Lankan-born 16-year-old Sachin Variath, named by his father Jerry after Indian cricket's master batsman, is making his own mark.

On Saturday, Variath scored 261 runs for the Avondale College first X1 he leads in the premier two-day plate competition for Auckland secondary schools.

Only Bert Sutcliffe, another left-hander and regarded as among the best of New Zealand's batsmen, has scored more schoolboy runs.

In 1942, playing for Takapuna Grammar School, Sutcliffe scored a record 268.

Martin Crowe, another New Zealand batting star, came close with 247 for Auckland Grammar against Grafton in the Auckland senior competition.

Variath was born in Sri Lanka and came to New Zealand with his family eight years ago "for a fresh start".

His big innings helped his Avondale side to a commanding 419-8.

But it wasn't a display of big-hitting flashy batting. Included in his 261 not out were only 30 fours and two sixes, but plenty of singles, twos and the occasional three.

The serene setting at the college is a far cry from his birthplace where, as a three-year-old, he had a bat thrust into his hands.

He quickly lost interest in the game and did not take it seriously until he arrived in his adopted homeland by which time he had switched from batting right-handed to left.

He played initially at Suburbs New Lynn and still retains strong links with the club. He scored his previous best, 110, for its under-15 side.

"Some time after I was born my dad said 'you have to get a triple hundred like Tendulkar'," he said yesterday. "I came close on Saturday, but as we have to declare after the first day I have no chance to go on this week."

He has never met his namesake, but says Sachin Tendulkar is "a cricketing god and I would love to have that chance some day".

Coached at his club by Kit Perera and by Matt Horne and Mark O'Donnell in Auckland academies, Variath now has Nazeem Smith as his first X1 coach.

Again, the stylish youngster could not have better.

Before his arrival to teach physical education at the school last year, Smith coached the Cape Cobras in South Africa - a team which included nine South African internationals.