Scouting in itself is quite a niche profession in cricket. 

Imagine scouting for women’s cricket in India, where the growth has been multifold in recent times. That’s where 24-year-old Nisarg Naik, who played age-group football for Maharashtra, has taken it to another level. 

You may not even spot cameras or stream for many local domestic matches, but there’s a good chance that Naik was there watching these young cricketers tackle some challenging situations. That differentiates Naik from the others, who scout from remote locations.

While numbers are not his strongest suit, the 24-year-old notices how the player reacts in a particular situation and how she corrects her ‘mistakes’ over time. If that’s not enough, he even deals with players’ brand deals, which is quite crucial considering how many of them depend on sponsorships to make a living.

So, how did he get into this whole scouting business, especially in women’s cricket? 

“I’ve always been passionate about discovering talents, and scouting is a very niche sector in Indian cricket,” Naik told Cricket.com over a telephonic conversation. 

“There aren’t too many courses available to teach you how to scout, and only ex-players get into it. I wanted to break that notion, challenge myself and show the world that a youngster can do it as well.” 

That’s where his background in football comes in handy, considering that scouting is a quintessential process behind some tremendous sporting success stories. Combined with the timing of Naik’s entry into women’s cricket, it put him ahead of the curve. 

But over the last few years, the sport’s growth has indeed moved to a level where scouting has seeped slowly but steadily into the women’s cricket ecosystem. 

“The game has significantly improved, especially since WPL has been introduced. WPL has brought so much attention to the women’s cricketers and has helped them get better facilities. We should be thankful to the BCCI for providing such a big platform and infrastructure that’s provided to them. They have built the new NCA [National Cricket Academy] as well,” he stated. 

“So, it’s good for us, you know, that more professional setups have been increased,” he added.

While Vinayak Samant, a former Mumbai cricketer, didn’t introduce Naik straight into the world of ‘scouting’, he had a telling influence on the 24-year-old’s scouting career. As a 20-year-old, Naik used to bother Samant with questions of his own about scouting, like a curious cat. 

“I am fortunate enough, you know, to be a student of Vinayak Samant sir, who was a scout for Kings XI Punjab [now Punjab Kings]. Whenever he gave some tips regarding coaching and scouting, I always heard and kept it in mind.” 

“Because, as I said, scouting is also a part of coaching. It actually helped me a lot. Obviously, Nooshin [Al Khadeer] mam was always helpful to me. She’s currently the best women’s cricket coach and her experience was valuable for me.”

So, how does the 24-year-old go about his business, identifying the talents?

“The most important thing is to watch the match,” Naik puts it as bluntly as possible. 

“You know, to date, I have watched more than 150 women’s matches, domestic and international. The second important thing is to watch the situation. If a team is 34-5, you must evaluate how the No.6 or 7 batter is doing in that situation. Certain things like handling mental strength are also important. The most important thing is instincts because we are betting on a player,” he breaks it all down. 

“The coaching aspect, too, is quite important. That’s why I have divided talent identification into three parts: talent scouting, coaching, and data analysis. I’m quite fortunate to work with all three sectors with some legends in the industry,” he added. 

“So, I have worked with Mr. Ashutosh Paibhale sir, who has worked with a lot of franchises and helped me improve across all three sectors – coaching, scouting and analysis.” 

That’s where Vikas Hasija’s role comes into play, too. As the CEO of Artists Assist, Hasija has helped and fuelled Naik’s ambitions of helping players grow personally. Using his expertise and resources, Naik has travelled nationwide, scouting people from all corners. 

His eyes are now fixated on the talents coming out of the North East region, which remains an untapped cricket market. It doesn’t matter which team is playing; Naik will be there with his notebook, personally scouring several cricket matches to identify some of the biggest talents in the country. 

Naturally, you would want to believe that Artificial Intelligence will do the same job without so much travel, right? Isn’t that going to affect Naik gravely? That’s where he remembers a line from former Indian selector Saba Karim, ‘What a human eye can see, a machine can’t see it’. 

“A human can figure out the pressure situation, but the machine can’t. I have direct contact with 90% of the domestic cricketers. So, I talk to them regularly. Even now, the domestic season is on. If a player is performing well, I ask them what they have done differently from last year to be performing this well in a particular match,” Naik explains. 

“The same goes when a player is not performing well. So, I ask them why and what’s the reason behind it? What needs to be changed, and so on! It is easier for me, you know, to communicate with the players because I know them personally. I have actually made a bond with them, not as a talent scout but as a friend,” he adds. 

But his friendship doesn’t come in the way when Naik recommends players to the WPL franchises. What he does is quite simple: He processes the areas where a particular franchise is looking to fill the gaps and suggests those names. 

“I will send a SWOT analysis of the players, which I will recommend to them. So, for a batter, I will send them 3 to 4 options I think are good at that particular spot. I prepare a report about the players,” Naik said. 

“It totally depends on what the franchises are looking for in a player, like which player will be best at that particular position. It’s always good to provide a well-rounded analysis so that the franchise can also make an informed choice about the players,” he adds. 

Given the sport’s success, especially women’s cricket, there’s a good chance that Naik could fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming the youngest-ever scout in the sporting industry. 

“My goal, basically, is to create more, you know, structured scouting pipeline. Even players from the Northeast region should be given more attention and added to the WPL as development players,” he said. 

“I want to integrate data analysis into my technique, which, you know, I can also be more comprehensive. I’ve helped the players in day-to-day life as well. See, what I do as a talent manager also comes into play over here. Because when players play on the ground, I look after their off-field things. Starting from equipment to apparel, I sort everything out for them,” he added. 

“They can then focus on their cricket and put 100% into it. The last thing is that I have a personal motive as well. Currently, I’m 24, and I have the opportunity to become the youngest talent scout in the world. If I get affiliated with a franchise, I will be the world’s youngest talent scout, and that’s also running on my mind.”

Nisarg Naik is just 24, and with age on his side, his mission to bring talents from the unexplored parts of the country will only become a reality as women’s cricket spreads its wings to greater heights.

Images Courtesy: Nisarg Naik

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