Surrey County Cricket Club has signed a ‘shining example’ batter from the South Asian Cricket Academy, to a multi-year, full-time contract.
Right-handed batter Nikhil Gorantla, 23, who has just graduated from Durham University with a degree in Chemistry, will join the Surrey First XI squad this week to begin training.
He has been part of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) since 2023 and joined the MCC Young Cricketers Programme this year.
Tom Brown, Co-founder and Managing Director at SACA said: “Nik has worked incredibly hard to get this opportunity and everyone at SACA is so pleased for him.
“He’s a shining example of how the programme works; his talent and his work rate have never been in doubt and he’s shown that he deserves this chance at Surrey.”
Gorantla said: “I’d like to particularly thank the South Asian Cricket Academy for keeping me in the professional mix over recent years, the work they continue to do for young cricketers has been phenomenal.
“I’m looking forward to getting around the group and learning from the wealth of experienced players and coaches at the Club.”
Born in Cambridge, Gorantla was part of the Cambridgeshire set up from U10s to U15s before moving to the Essex age group system and Academy until 2022.
While at university, he played for South Northumberland Cricket Club in Newcastle before moving to Sawston and Babraham in the East Anglian Premier League this summer.
The Three Feathers seem confident in their decision making regarding the young batsman as he has a slew of recent successes under his belt.
He impressed with 76 runs in Surrey Second XIs narrow red ball victory over Derbyshire.
In the T20s, he further showcased his talents with 37 against Hampshire, 35 against Kent and a fast 52 against Essex.
Gorantla scored a double hundred for Essex’s Second XI against Yorkshire in 2022 and an impressive century for Northumberland in a match with Durham in 2023.
Alec Stewart, High Performance Advisor at Surrey, said: “Not every journey to a professional contract is seamless. Nik’s a shining example of how hard work and patience can be rewarded.”
Featured Image credit: Surrey County Cricket Club
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