Meet Vijay Zol

Vijay Zol is India's Under-19 captain. This past July, he has struck three international hundreds, the last two off consecutive youth Tests against Sri Lanka. Hailing from Jalna, a town just under 400km from Mumbai, this left-handed batsman was a member of the Under-19 world cup winning XI in 2012 and is held in high regard by David Andrews, Maharashtra's Under-19 coach, for a "wholesome cricketing brain" writes Chinmay Brahme of the Indian Express

"Playing cricket is very difficult in Jalna. Besides, we hardly get to play any matches. We play one or two matches a month and that too against the same set of players. I have had to practise for weeks on end with tennis balls because the leather ones ran out," says Zol. He adds that the lack of match practice has forced him to grab every opportunity that comes his way. "Boys in Mumbai and Pune play 20 matches a month. Here we would be lucky to get those many in a year. A match is where I can show what I am capable of. That's why I have to score big runs," he says.