Rise of 19-year-old Shoun Roger from the UAE to one among the IPL auction players

By K.R. Nayar

Shoun Roger has scored profusely in the UAE’s inter-schools cricket from the age of ten and is now among those who will go under the hammer in the oncoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. This 19-year-old who got picked for Kerala's junior cricket team, scored half-centuries and centuries in Under-19 cricket against states like Baroda, Haryana, and Rajasthan, and even got selected for the India Under-19 team. Inspired by his idol Sachin Tendulkar and motivated by the words of Syed Kirmani, he surmounts setbacks with his focus on performance.

Shoun Roger... the determined youngster 

The most pleasing aspect of writing about the exploits of very young cricketers is when they continue to perform splendidly as they grow up. One such boy is Shoun Roger, whose exploits I had written about since he was a 10-year-old boy. It was a total delight when he informed me that he was one among the 590 players who would go under the hammer during the mega Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. Shoun is now 19 years old. 

Shoun Roger... piling up trophies all the way 

Growing up in UAE, Shoun's rise through his remarkable ability to fight the odds and not waver from his goal is worth observing. With every passing year, he has proved that with a strong verve one can achieve remarkable feats and clinch places in teams that are considered impossible to reach. He is an example of how through sheer hard work and devotion one can go to great heights irrespective of the setbacks. He strongly believes that even if one door is closed another will be opened since the runs flowing from his bat will do the knocking for him.

How did this boy clinch a place among the 590 players to be auctioned for the the IPL, the world’s most prestigious tournament?  Shoun Roger is convinced that nothing can stop him from going about doing hard work. He has always scored heavily in inter-school cricket. Right from kindergarten to Grade 7, his knocks repeatedly brought laurels and titles for his school.

Shoun with his father Antony Roger Fernandez 

Backing his son’s desire are his parents, especially his father Antony Roger Fernandez, a club-level cricketer, who made sure that Shoun gets the best of training. He took Shoun to many of the clinics conducted by former greats, be it those visiting the UAE or in India.  Shoun has thus received tips from the likes of renowned coaches like David Whatmore, Bharat Arun, Madan Lal, Mudassar Nazar, Venkatesh Prasad, Romesh Ratnayake, and Chandrakant Pandit even before the age of 12.

Unfortunately, Shoun’s father lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic, and his business also collapsed. But that has not stopped this father from backing his son’s passion. Shoun reciprocates his father’s support through consistent brilliant performances.

Twelve-year-old Shoun Roger meets his idol Sachin Tendulkar 

Meeting two greats from the game while in the UAE was a great boost for Shoun.  As a 12-year-old boy, he got the opportunity to meet his idol, Sachin Tendulkar, when the legend was here for the IPL, and got his bat autographed by him. Like Tendulkar did as a boy, Shoun too travelled to England as a young boy with a coaching academy and scored profusely. One year after, he represented Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala where he was born, and his prolific run of big scores got him selected into the zonal and state Under-14 teams. He scored heavily at that level as well.

Talking about his experience in Kerala, the then 12-year-old Shoun, while featuring him in 2015, had said: “If I have to become a player like Tendulkar, I should be performing consistently in every match. I know I have to train hard and so I make sure to practice every day.” This youngster has also worked hard on his bowling to sharpen his skill as an off-spinner.

Soon it became natural for Shoun to win the best player award regularly. In 2012, he won the best player of the tournament in the Under-11 Inter-Academy tournament in the UAE. In 2013, he participated in the Inter-School Tournament conducted by Millennium School Sharjah and won the Player of the Tournament award. He also toured Sri Lanka for an Under-14 series as a member of Young Talent Cricket Academy and was adjudged the best batsman of the tournament.

As a fifteen-year-old boy, Shoun bagged the Emirates Cricket Board’s UAE Academy Cricket Under-17 League’s best batsman award and the Shyam Bhatia award for the outstanding young cricketer. He then carried his form to India and hit a double century to break a state U16 tournament record at the Thodupuzha Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Ground.

Shoun Roger receives an invaluable advice from Syed Kirmani 

Another legend who has made a lasting impact on him was the Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani when he had come as the Chief guest for an event in Ajman. Kirmani had told Shoun: “When you take the bat, tell yourself I am not giving my wicket to anyone.” This advice is something that he always tries to put into practice while playing. His long list of excellent performances proves that. He hit his 100^th half-century in a Kerala Under-16 District match. With 83 centuries in his kitty, he is 17 short of the 100 mark. He also has three double centuries to his credit.

Shoun Roger with coach Biju George 

Living in a small apartment in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, with his father, he trains under coach Biju George at the SAI Sports Centre. Incidentally, Biju is the coach who has groomed India’s wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, and Shoun is well on his way to emulate Samson. Like Samson, he also got picked to play for the India Under-19 team.

In the BCCI Under-19 Vinoo Mankad ODI 2021-22, he scored a century representing Kerala against Baroda and half centuries against Haryana and Rajasthan. He also bagged 11 wickets helping Kerala reach the quarterfinal of the Vinoo Mankad tournament for the first time. This performance won him a place in the BCCI Challenger Cup and he hit knocks of 42, 49, 23, and 19 for India B. Like Samson, who also got picked from Kerala to represented India Under-19, Shoun too clinched a place in the India Under-19 team for the triangular series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In the same month, he also cracked a century in the Under-19 BCCI Cooch Behar four-day match against Delhi and bagged the Most Promising Batsman of the President’s Cup tournament conducted by the Kerala Cricket Association.

Shoun Roger with Sanju Samson whom he emulated to get picked from Kerala to the  India Under-19 team  

Although Shoun missed getting selected for the India Under-19 team, that has not disheartened him. He considers being among the players to be auctioned for the IPL is itself as a recognition of his skills. He hopes that his focus to keep improving will continue to back him for more recognition and glory.