Mumbai University hero Bravish Shetty says hype affected his career

Mumbai University hero Bravish Shetty admits he was affected by comparisons with Tendulkar early on

Mumbai University hero Bravish Shetty says hype affected his career

Mumbai University hero Bravish Shetty admits he was affected by comparisons with Tendulkar early on

Comparison can make or break a career. For Bravish Shetty it was the latter.

Tired of being compared to Sachin Tendulkar in his early days, Bravish's batting took a serious beating later on. After scoring heavily in the Mumbai U-14 and U-15 side, Bravish could neither make it to the Mumbai U-17 nor U-19 team.

But Bravish is back in business. After playing his part in Mumbai U-22's all-India triumph last year, Bravish struck a glorious double century yesterday to help Mumbai University gain a massive 188-run lead against SRM University (Tamil Nadu) on Day Two of the Rohinton Baria Trophy inter-university cricket final, organised by Rizvi College, at the Oval Maidan.

Mumbai University were 386 for seven at stumps with Bravish unbeaten on 211 (20x4, 7x6).

"I don't know why people compared me to Sachin. I was focused on my batting but somehow it creeps into your mind. It slowly started getting on to my nerves and started affecting my concentration," Bravish told MiD DAY.

Being on the shorter side and a bit bulkier, some of his shots had immediate resemblance to Tendulkar's style.

"I tried hard to remain unaffected. But then there was so much of hype around. I was too young to handle all that. My approach suddenly changed. I became more defensive," said the 21-year-old Khalsa College lad.

For around three years that he remained out of a major team, Bravish worked hard on his technique and building self-confidence.

"I stopped thinking about who is saying what. I went into a match with a positive mindset and an aim to score runs.u00a0 You only get recognised when you score heavily."

Yesterday's innings has certainly brought the attention back on him.