New Delhi: There are very few in world cricket like England’s Sam Billings, an all-round sportsman in the true sense.
Billings’ tale is as interesesting and intriguing as it gets. Billings made his name as a wicketkeeper, though his fielding is electric. So which role suits him the most?
“It’s a matter of offering as much as you can to your side,” the Kent gloveman told this paper. “I realised that I wouldn’t get an opportunity just keeping wickets, so had to get my batting to a level where it was good enough to play as batsman and also with my fielding which adds a string to by bow.
“I think it also depends on which team I play for,” Billings added. The 24-year-old turned down a football trial with Tottenham Hotspur, has played rugby, squash, tennis and a few other racquet sports at a high level. “I am from a sports-smart family and all sports have been a part of the family for long.
“Growing up, I was encouraged to play as many sports as possible. Cricket was always the game I shone at and it’s my true passion. Although, I love all sports — especially football and racquet sports — cricket is my strongest sports and thankfully it’s has worked out,” he adds. Billings says he watched legendry Indian batsman Rahul Dravid play county cricket for his team, Kent. His home ground Canterbury is where he smashed two scintillating hundreds (143 and 135) and shot to overnight fame.
Billings feels that the Indian Premier League has been a tremendous opportunity, sharing the dressing room with some of the game’s greats. “It’s not about money; it’s about playing against the best players in the world. It has been an unbelievable experience and a huge bonus for me actually. It has been everything I expected and more,” he says.
Billings says he wants to play all thee formats of the game and do well. “I would say ODIs and T20 at the moment, but hopefully I can progress to play Test match cricket. I think playing in an Ashes series would be a dream come true that would be as big as playing in the IPL,” he concludes.
