"I can't be him, so I can only be myself" - Tagenarine Chanderpaul on comparisons with his father Shivnarine
West Indies' newest batting sensation Tagenarine Chanderpaul hopes to create his own individuality instead of following in his father's footsteps. The left-hander is in line to make his Test debut next week against Australia in Perth.
The rookie opener played a promising knock against Australia Prime Minister's XI, scoring 119 off 293 in Canberra. The 26-year-old also has an impressive first-class record, registering five centuries in 50 games and scoring 2669 runs.
CONGRATS!
Tagenarine “Brandon” Chanderpaul reaches a great century in his first knock for West Indies
Landmark came 235 balls and with 11 fours and a six! https://t.co/s3TnjntweZ
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, he said:
"I try and be myself. I can't be him, so I can only be myself. Fingers crossed. … I'll try to get some runs if I'm selected."
The left-hander was the second-highest run-getter in the four-day regional competition of 2022, scoring 439 runs in five games at 73.16 with two tons for Guyana.
"If he can come here and do well, it will be a start to his career" - Shivnarine Chanderpaul on his son
Former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul has said that his guidance enabled Tagenarine to score runs and win a place in the national team. However, he expects Australia to be a stiff challenge for Tagenarine.
"He started the first-class season without many runs, then he came to Florida and did some work with me. When he got back, he got a couple of hundreds, and now he's got selected to come here."
Chandrepaul Sr. added:
"Knowing the attack Australia has - these guys are relentless - if he can come here and do well, it will be a start to his career. I try to help him sometimes, but he's a little bent in his ways. He'll seek me out for some help, but then there's a lot of times, like any kid, when you message him, but he doesn't message back."
Meet the Chanderpauls 🤝 #PMXIvWI #AUSvWI https://t.co/hSOJfFZSre
Shivnarine Chanderpaul last played for the West Indies in 2015 and is one of their most prolific run-getters in Test and ODI cricket. He's only one of two batters to score 10,000 Test runs for the West Indies, while his 8778 runs are the the third-highest in ODIs for the team.