Vriitya Aravind confident 'my time will come' as batter looks to regain spot in UAE team


Paul Radley
  • English
  • Arabic

For the first four years of his cricket career, things could scarcely have gone better for Vriitya Aravind.

It all started out when he got to skip lessons at school at Kings Al Barsha in Dubai to make his international debut aged 17. After that, he routinely got to travel the world as a UAE player, dovetailed with semesters studying for a degree in the UK.

He had stints as an oversees pro in English club cricket. He played in a T20 World Cup aged 20. He was player of the tournament in the tournament that got the UAE to that event in Australia in 2022. And he was their leading run-scorer in the one-day international series - Cricket World Cup League 2 - that they play in, too.

All was going so swimmingly, but then came the blip. Currently, he finds himself on the outside of the UAE team looking in.

Having been dropped from the XI at various points in Nepal last year then against Scotland and Canada earlier this, he was left out of the squad entirely for their most recent series in Namibia. He is also – as yet – without a contract to play in the next season of the DP World International League T20.

Vriitya Aravind had a great start to his UAE career but is currently out of the squad. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Vriitya Aravind had a great start to his UAE career but is currently out of the squad. Chris Whiteoak / The National

And he does not even have the escape of his studies anymore. He finished university in Loughborough in the summer, having graduated in criminology and psychology. It meant his family got to travel to watch him all dressed up in a gown and mortar board rather than batting pads or wicketkeeping gloves.

“It was a different experience for me because at school I didn’t have graduation as it was Covid,” Aravind said.

“I never had the experience of actually graduating, so this was really good. [But] I miss it a lot, especially over the past few weeks when I haven’t been training much, and was just at home the whole time.

“I haven’t had that break over the past four years. Every time I had a break from cricket I was heading back to university, so was always surrounded by people.

“Being alone in my room just watching cricket I was thinking, 'I just want to go back, maybe I should do a master’s degree'.”

For now, though, all thoughts about more studies or even a career away from cricket are distant ones, barely considered. He says he is “all in on cricket” for at least two years to see where it takes him, and will then assess his options.

Omission from his first series post graduation was a jolt. Even if his previous feats for the national team were not enough, he felt he had proven himself worthy of a place on tour in Namibia with runs for the UAE 'A' team in Oman and then in Windhoek, before the senior team arrived. And yet he was overlooked.

“It was really tough, I’m not going to sugar coat it and say it hasn’t been,” he said of his absence from the side.

“It came as a shock to me. But I am pretty headstrong and I think I have managed myself pretty well. I didn’t want it to impact my friends. I still want to see the UAE do well because my friends are playing in the team.

“I am supporting the team whatever happens, but I am waiting for my chance to come again. It is not in my hands and I can only control the controllables. That is to score runs, take catches, and win games for my team. I try to do all three things and I’m sure hopefully my time will come and I’ll be ready.”

The fact he studied psychology might have helped him through the first major challenge of his career to date.

“I’m taking it as fuel to my fire when I am outside training, but I think I’m at my best when I’m at the wicket and I just see the ball and react to it instinctively,” he said.

“Once I start putting all the thoughts in my head like, ‘Oh, I’m not in the team, I need to score runs,’ that is when I put more external pressure on myself.”

He clearly hasn’t lost the knack for run-scoring. He scored half-centuries in each of the opening two matches for the Gulf Giants side in the ILT20 Development tournament at the ICC Academy. The competition is the platform for aspiring players to advertise their merits to the six franchises for the main event.

Aravind is without a side for the third season of the UAE’s T20 franchise league. The ILT20 has been another source of frustration for him: he has been contracted for both seasons so far, but has only played one game.

Again, he is sanguine about it, reasoning that chances are likely to be scarce when you are competing for places with some of the leading players in the world game.

“Especially being one of the most capped players and being involved for a whole tournament, I would expect to play more games, but I was with two very strong teams,” he said.

“I get that. At MI [Emirates, in season one], I was with Nicholas Pooran who is one of the very best wicketkeeper-batsmen, and at Delhi [Capitals, last season], Sam Billings was the captain.

“I see where it comes from, but hopefully this year I am going to do as much as I can, score as many runs as I can before the ILT. I want to put myself in the best situation to push for a place in that starting XI and hopefully not just be selected but play a lot of games as well.”

Aravind feels players can be quickly forgotten if they are not playing in UAE competitions. He has had large absences from the domestic scene because of studying abroad, and he wants to remind everybody of what he has to offer.

“That is why this competition is so big, especially with everything that has happened in the past six months,” he said.

“A lot of people haven’t seen me playing a lot of cricket, although I have been playing in the UK, but that doesn’t have quite the same exposure.

“This tournament is big for me to put my name out there again and say, ‘I’m still not done, I’m still playing cricket.’ Hopefully a team picks me up.”

For all the tests of the recent past, Aravind is grateful for the opportunities cricket has already given him, and he thinks his time outside the national team will make him stronger.

“You grow as a cricketer, but more so as a person,” he said. “You have to take the downsides when they come. It is the way of life and how it is. When I was 17, I never expected to be in the UAE team. I was fast tracked into that and there had to be a blip somewhere in my career.

“It is still early days. I think this is the blip which was going to happen at some point. I wouldn’t say I’m happy it has happened now, but hopefully I can take it in a good way and move forward, and make sure I do enough so this doesn’t happen again.”

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Biography

Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine

Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

Favourite drink: Water

Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work

Favourite music: Classical music

Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate

 

 

 

 

 

Results

2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mezmar, Adam McLean (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).

3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: AF Ajwad, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.

3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Gold Silver, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.

4pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m; Winner: Atrash, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez.

4.30pm: Gulf Cup Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Momtaz, Saif Al Balushi, Musabah Al Muhairi.

5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Al Mushtashar, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

The%20pillars%20of%20the%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Strategy
%3Cp%3EEncourage%20innovation%20in%20the%20metaverse%20field%20and%20boost%20economic%20contribution%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20outstanding%20talents%20through%20education%20and%20training%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20applications%20and%20the%20way%20they%20are%20used%20in%20Dubai's%20government%20institutions%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAdopt%2C%20expand%20and%20promote%20secure%20platforms%20globally%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDevelop%20the%20infrastructure%20and%20regulations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Traces%20of%20Enayat
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Iman%20Mersal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20And%20Other%20Stories%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20240%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Fixture and table

UAE finals day: Friday, April 13 at Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

  • 3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
  • 6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

 

UAE Premiership – final standings

  1. Dubai Exiles
  2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins
  3. Jebel Ali Dragons
  4. Dubai Hurricanes
  5. Dubai Sports City Eagles
  6. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

Two products to make at home

Toilet cleaner

1 cup baking soda 

1 cup castile soap

10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice) 

Method:

1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.

2. Add the essential oil to the mix.

Air Freshener

100ml water 

5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this) 

Method:

1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.

2. Shake well before use. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is dialysis?

Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Updated: October 12, 2024, 6:49 AM`