Uncle behind the rise of Aniket, the new IPL sensation

IT was not an easy decision, but Amit Verma took it when he was around 15. He was inconsolable as he had lost his sister-in-law, Mamta Verma.

- FIROZ MIRZA @Chennai

IT was not an easy decision, but Amit Verma took it when he was around 15. He was inconsolable as he had lost his sister-in-law, Mamta Verma. His nephew, Aniket, was only three then, and more than anyone, Amit was worried about him. The worries only grew when his brother Umshankar got married again. Amit then decided to shift Aniket from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where he was living with his mother Parvati Verma. It was a big responsibility, and to ensure he doesn't fail, Amit started working when he was not even 18. All those memories flooded back when Aniket, now 23, slammed a 41-ball 74 for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. "Aniket was always close to me and mother; hence, we decided to bring him to Bhopal after his mother's death," Amit told this daily.

But shifting Aniket to Bhopal was not the toughest decision Amit has ever taken. Instead, it was his decision to support Aniket in his quest to excel in cricket. "Given the uncertainties the game posed, it was the toughest decision. Had he not made it to where he is now, everybody would have blamed me, saying I brought him to Bhopal and then spoiled him by letting him choose cricket as his career," admitted the paternal uncle.