Naman Tiwari

Naman Tiwari is a left-arm pacer, having a lethal weapon in the form of a bouncer in his repertoire.

Hailing from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Naman follows a strict training regime. Ashok Kumar, whom he refers to as ‘Bhola Sir’, guided him in his initial days. However, the youngster had to move to a park in Gomti Nagar as his father found it more convenient.

The speedster burst onto the scene with solid showings in the Raj Singh Dungarpur Under-14 trophy. He took 14 wickets in the tournament.

After not getting an opportunity in the U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he took the setback in his stride, honing his skills under Yash Sahani at the Central Cricket Club.

In 2019, he made a promise to his father, an LIC agent. Naman wanted three years for him to just focus on cricket with the condition that if he was not able to succeed further in the sport, he would go back to studying.

Driven by the promise, he worked even harder. After the pandemic, he bagged 26 wickets in the U-19 tournament for Uttar Pradesh, earning him a chance to join the Zonal Cricket Academy and the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

After playing in the Uttar Pradesh T20 (UP T20) 2023 for Noida Super Kings, he received his maiden India U-19 call-up for the Asia Cup 2023. Before that, he took a fifer for India A U-19 against Bangladesh U-19 in the Quadrangular series.

In the U-19 Asia Cup 2023, Naman scalped five wickets in three innings at an economy of 4.22. With seven dismissals in three innings, he was India’s second-highest wicket-taker in the U-19 tri-series versus South Africa and Afghanistan, which led to Naman’s entry into the India squad for the U-19 World Cup 2024. He bagged 12 wickets in 6 innings in the tournament, including two consecutive four-wicket-hauls against Ireland and the USA, respectively, in the competition. 

(As of February 2024)