Hailing from a family of cricketers, the game has been a part of Sam Curran’s life since young. And, the 26-year-old from Northampton has already made a mark in international cricket. t2 chatted with the all-rounder from the English cricket team on his growing-up years and his favourite Indian players.

The Australia-England rivalry is legendary...

The T20 series (that ended in a draw) was very good, some new faces in the England team, which was great, but the ODI series will be fantastic as well. We’ve got a very young side, new names and faces some people have not heard of. That’s exciting for the players. Australia obviously are a fantastic team. When England plays Australia, the rivalry is huge. Australia have got a few of their senior players back and England have few players coming back as well.

What do you remember of this rivalry when you were growing up?

The rivalry is huge. I grew up on things like the 2005 Ashes, where there was Freddie Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen... even in the ODIs, T20s, World Cups.... I have been a part of quite a few England-Australia games. That’s quite nice. Growing up, you dream to play for England and you have dreams to play against Australia, in the Ashes.... Anytime the teams clash, it’s quite fierce and competitive.

Cricket runs in your blood...

Yes, it does. I have two older brothers (Tom Curran, Ben Curran), my dad (Kevin M Curran), grandad (Kevin P Curran), they all played cricket. Ever since I could walk, I had a bat and ball in my hand. That was obviously a dream of mine. I played a lot of cricket with Tom for Surrey, Oval Invincibles, England and in the IPL, played against him. My other brother Ben is at the minute going back to Zimbabwe where my dad played. That’ll be really special if he can get into the Zimbabwe team and you never know, I might play against him for England.

In the garden we had a cricket net, lots of space and we used to play with a tennis ball. In school, I used to play all sports, but cricket was always going to be the one. We used to go to the club cricket ground where my dad used to play and would be coaching and we’d go mess around on the field during the break. I think we always had that goal of being professional cricketers. I played lots of golf and rugby, but cricket was the one that took the trophy in the end.

There must be tips galore, but is there a flipside to having so many players in the family?

We are very competitive. When we were young, we used to fight if someone was not allowed to bat or whether someone was out or not. When we go for dinners or go out with our families, there is a lot of cricket chat and how you play certain bowlers... it’s a very healthy chat. We play a lot of golf together as well and even on the golf course we are chatting about what type of skills we are working on.... We are very tight. We have got to that age where we want the best for each other.

You are just 26, already an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire). What does it mean for you to play in English colours?

I have played a lot of cricket for England, which is incredibly proud and special. I love waking up every day, wanting to work hard and keep playing for the England team at big tournaments and series. The goal for me is to get back into playing all three formats, keep doing well for my franchises, county team at Surrey and hopefully, next year, I have a good IPL season... I love playing for England and international cricket is at the top. It’s a great team and I have special memories. A World Cup (2022 T20 World Cup) win gives you an extra bit of drive and eagerness to win another trophy and win some more tournaments for England.

Which cricketers do you admire?

Growing up, it was probably Mitchell Johnson, the left-arm bowler, or Brett Lee, the guys who bowled really fast... I used to love watching Adam Gilchrist bat or Kumar Sangakkara... I had the pleasure of playing with him (Sangakkara), which was awesome. In England (it was), Jimmy Anderson, legend of the game. And, so many. I have been very lucky to have played against some fantastic players that I grew up watching. That’s the amazing thing about cricket at the moment. You play different tournaments in the world and you get to meet these players that you have looked up to and some of the coaches as well. It’s an exciting time.

Do you enjoy playing in India?

India is a fantastic place. I have spent a lot of time there, in the last four-five years, starting with Punjab (Kings), then Chennai (Super Kings) and back to Punjab (Kings). The fan base, support and love for cricket in India is amazing. Leaving the hotel to the ground, all the flags... amazing memories, with Punjab, Chennai and also England. I love the culture, food, and sightseeing. The fans love seeing you and they get very excited. They love to see the cricketers go for breakfast or lunch and sometimes you’ve got to go under the radar to do some fun things and it must be incredibly hard for the Indian cricketers, because they are superstars there. But, it is a fantastic place to play at and I am excited for many more memories in the future.

Who are your friends in Punjab Kings?

Guys like Arshdeep Singh... I played a lot of cricket with Arshdeep.... We play against each other loads now. It’s a great rivalry. We’ve got some fantastic guys there. No one really knows what’s going to happen leading into next year, but we have some exciting players... so we’ll see what happens.

How fit must one be to play all three formats now?

You have to be incredibly fit and smart with how much you are bowling, your running, your sprints, going to the gym and eating well. Recovery is really important, lots of stretching, yoga, Pilates. Everyone is different. I like to get away from cricket and go for walks, play some golf and keep the body moving. The schedule is pretty busy where you are playing a 50-over and then back to a four-day game. So, you’ve got to be clever with how much you train and make sure that you are mentally fresh for games.

How do you relax?

I like going out for dinners and golf is probably the second favourite sport for cricketers here in England. We play a lot of golf and like to keep the competitiveness going on the golf course. The hand-eye coordination is similar to cricket. I like going shopping or a walk, just keeping my mind away from cricket.

What kind of Indian food do you like?

A few of the guys introduced me to a dosa. I am not too good with spicy food, but a classic Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala is pretty standard for me.

Your style is classic...

The weather in England can be quite cold, so nice warm jackets. I like plain jackets, nice shirts, chinos, nice shoes. When I am relaxing, I like comfy clothing, like classic tees, but I really enjoy my fashion, especially shoes and sunglasses.