Kerala: 8-year-old batting genius becomes Internet sensation

Malappuram: Eight-year-old Krishna Narayan is an Internet sensation. But wait. It's not because of his singing talents or dancing skills. It's because of his batting technique. Krishna became a rage when his father posted a video of his batting skills on YouTube. In fact, one of his recent videos attracted over five lakh hits and even got the attention of Kerala Cricket Association.

Rajesh Kumar, Krishna's father, beams with pride as he speaks about the prodigy. "Initially I took the videos not to post it on YouTube, but to only evaluate his game. But my nephew is the one who told me that by posting it on YouTube I can reach out to many people, including officials. And that came true. Everything else followed."

Rajesh quit his career as a software engineer to nurture his son's talent. And now, Krishna is getting coached by Sports Authority of India (SAI) trainer Biju George. Says Biju, "He is extremely talented. If you see his first video, you will know that he is beautifully balanced. Usually children find it difficult to pick the length when they face a cricket or tennis ball. But this guy does it very well."

Recently, Krishna played his first official match alongside senior players in Thiruvananthapuram. But his real dream lies elsewhere. "My favourite cricketer is Sachin Tendulkar and I would like to play with him one day," he says.

Little Krishna's big dream may be to meet India's cricketing legends. But everybody close to him is hoping that one day he will make the country proud. Meanwhile, the young sports star has agreed to teach me some of his best shots.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)