Inspired by Ben Stokes, shaped by Chennai: The emergence of RS Ambrish | Cricket News

“Ben Stokes is my favourite cricketer,” RS Ambrish tells TOI. It’s a proclamation that explains much about the teenager from Chennai: his ambition and his refusal to be boxed into one role. Like Stokes, he is a right-arm fast bowler and bats left-handed. Someone who wants to be involved in every facet of the game. “I always wanted to be an all-rounder,” he says. “I want to contribute with bat and ball and be part of the action.” Against New Zealand at the U-19 World Cup game in Bulawayo, he offered a compelling glimpse of that mindset, scything through the New Zealand batting with figures of 4/29. On a surface that demanded patience, Ambrish bowled heavy lengths, mixed pace smartly, unleashed yorkers at will, and refused to release pressure. The all-rounder’s instinct, however, predates this World Cup by several years. It began in Kolathur, Chennai, where cricket filled the afternoons, and matured at Don Bosco Egmore, a school that nurtured him. There, Ambrish dominated school cricket, graduating through runs and wickets, learning early what it meant to shoulder responsibility. From school grounds, the journey moved to the unforgiving arena of MRF League cricket, where reputations meant little and survival depended on skill. It was a finishing school in resilience. At the centre of it stood his father, R Sukumar — mentor, critic, and constant sounding board. A former Railways cricketer who trained in camps with Murali Karthik and JP Yadav, Sukumar understood the promise and cruelty of the game. He did not get the opportunity to play the Ranji Trophy, a regret that sharpens the advice to his son. “We talk cricket all the time,” Ambrish says. Sukumar, who is currently the coach of the Integral Coach Factory team, insists on one thing above everything else: technique. “If the foundation is strong, it will take him far,” he adds. The excitement around Ambrish is real. At a time when India’s junior cricket is awash with batting talent, the emergence of a genuine seam-bowling all-rounder is sure to make heads turn. Thalaivan Sargunam Xavier, chairman of selectors South Zone, calls him an exciting prospect but turns down the volume. “He is 18, and his muscles are still developing,” he says. “He has a long way to go.” With only two Ranji Trophy games under his belt, Ambrish is comfortable with that truth. The Ben Stokes parallel will surface again, albeit inevitably. But his journey is clearly his own; shaped by hard yards, long conversations at home, and the belief that technique and temperament always outlast noise.