Mohammed Enaan picked up a nine-wicket haul in his maiden youth Test match against Australia, including taking 6-79 in the second innings, helping India to a nervy win. Here’s all you need to know about him.
The 17-year-old leg-spinner was the star of the show in Chennai with his efforts helping dismiss Australia for 214 in the second innings. It gave India a target of 212 to win the first unofficial Test match, which they managed to chase down with two wickets to spare.
Enaan, who had earlier picked up six wickets in two under-19 ODIs against Australia, including figures of 4-32 in the first game, maximised the slow conditions at Chepauk with the new ball, leaving the cricketing world impressed.
Who is Mohammed Enaan?
Belonging to Kerala, Enaan’s father, who worked in Dubai, enrolled his son, then 12, in Saqlain Mushtaq’s camp in the United Arab Emirates. Having started as a fast bowler who later shifted to leg spin, Enaan had a quick-arm action, which, Mushtaq predicted, would turn out to be his strength.
His father recounts the words of the Pakistani great: “He told me, Enaan is not a classical leg-spinner. He bowls with a quick-arm action. Some of the coaches can try to change the action, make the bowler flight. The boy is doing well, don’t change his action, just let him keep doing what he is doing, this is his strength.”
Taking his words seriously, Enaan’s family shifted to India to give him better training facilities. He was enrolled under coach Dinesh Gopalakrishnan at the Athreya Cricket Academy and soon received a call-up in Kerela’s under-14 team when he was just in the seventh standard.
The pandemic gave him ample time to improve his skills, and he was picked for the Coromandel Cup in 2022 where several big players were participating. He dismissed Sachin Baby and Mohammed Azharudden in the semi-final, which forced the selectors to notice him. Eventually, the promoted Enaan and he was picked to play in a domestic tournament with the senior team in a T20 tournament, where he got the opportunity to bowl to the likes of Sanju Samson, Rohan Kunnummal and Vishnu Vinod.
Enaan, who idolises Rashid Khan, picked up 32 wickets in the 2022-23 Vijay Merchant Trophy at an average of 10.68 - the best among all bowlers with at least 15 wickets. Last season, he picked up 24 wickets in the Cooch Behar Trophy and also scored 200 runs, which helped him earn a place in the under-19 camp at the National Cricket Academy.
Having impressed in the NCA interzonal matches, he got an opportunity to train at the NCA and received his maiden India U19 call-up for the series against Australia.
He impressed there with a nine-wicket haul in the first youth Test.
Watch Mohammed Enaan's 6/79 against Australia
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