Nineteen-year-old Shreevats played an instrumental role in the Under-19 Indian team’s victorious campaign in the just-concluded colts World Cup in Malaysia. The stumper-cum-opening batsman carved out two useful half-centuries and put up a commendable showing behind the stumps, as the Virat Kohli-led Indian team saw off the challenge from South Africa in the final to clinch the title at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur.

“I have seen Shreevats quite a lot, and I think he is a real fighter, that’s a great quality that he possesses. But on the cricketing front, he still a lot of things to learn, and fast. He is young, and has time on his hands,” remarked Banerjee, Bengal’s stalwart stumper and skipper of yesteryears.

The former Ranji Trophy-winning captain of the Bengal team reckons that Shreevats needs to immediately start working on his wicket-keeping skills against spinners. “So far, he has shown that he can fight, he is a gutsy cricketer. But on the technical front, he needs to learn certain things fast now, like keeping to spinners. That’s definitely an area to work on,” Banerjee said.

From his experience as a former national selector, Banerjee points out that now that Shreevats is under the scanner following his success story in the U-19 World Cup, the next two years will be crucial for the youngster. “The U-19 success is fine. But whether he can improve and make it to higher levels will depend on how he fares over the next two years. This will be the transition phase in his career,” Banerjee said.

Interestingly, despite his splendid showing in the junior World Cup, southpaw Shreevats may have to wait for a season or two before getting into the senior Bengal team, with young gun Wriddhiman Saha the Bengal selectors’ top choice.