After following his dad to Bundoora United, Ikroop Dhanoa has taken his natural shine for cricket to new heights of brilliance.
Part of three junior cricket premierships at United by the age of 10, Ikroop has now been selected for the School Sport Victoria 12 and under cricket carnival in Canberra in January.
He was selected after two trials.
“We had one trial in the term two school holidays, and then another in term three,” he said. “I then had to wait three to four days to find out.”
Training started last week, and Ikroop was expecting plenty of all round practice.
He said, as well as playing cricket, he’d love to see Manuka Oval, where both cricket and AFL are played, during his Canberra visit.
While still an all-round cricketer like most young kids, he does have one speciality he has been focusing on.
Ikroop decided he wanted to be a leg spinner, taking inspiration from Australia’s greatest ever leg spinner, so far.
“When I was seven, I saw a few videos of Shane Warne and I was surprised how much spin he was getting, and decided I wanted to have a go.”
He has watched many videos since of Warne to improve his game, while reading many cricket autobiographies to understand the mental strength that is needed to play the game.
Dhanoa this season made the move to Plenty Valley to play turf cricket. All representative cricket is played on turf pitches.
Last season, he was part of the Northern Falcons’ representative squad.
His dad, Rupi, said Ikroop and he would always be in debt to United for what the club has done for the family. Rupi joined the club 10 years ago when he moved to Australia, and he still plays there today.
“The senior cricketers take a lot of pride teaching the kids,” he said.
“Mathew Ross has been his mentor. He said he thought he was ready to move to turf, and I respect his opinion. I think the club has to take a lot of credit for Ikroop’s cricket.”
Ikroop is also full of praise for the club, especially for Ross.
“I love them,” he said. “I’ve learnt a lot from the seniors – they’re always approachable and giving tips.
“Mathew helped with my batting technique and helped with the mental side of things.”
Ikroop is hoping to again make the Falcons side to play state championships early next year.
