Hyderabad, Oct. 19: Not many had heard of Adrian Barath when he walked out to open the batting for Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday against the Diamond Eagles in their Champions League Twenty20 clash, but by the time he finished his 41-ball innings, he had found a place amongst the hearts of cricket fans across the world.

Barath’s 63 had some breathtaking shots towards third-man, fine-leg and even a couple towards the cover region. His shot-making skills reminded many of the fearless batting which the West Indian batsmen have always been known for.

The youngster who replaced Darren Bravo in the match would have made his mentor — Brian Charles Lara — stand up and applaud with his stroke-making ability and free-scoring spirit. Lara had spotted Barath’s talent as a youngster, back home in Trinidad.

It was no surprise that chants of ‘Barath... Barath’ echoed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium as he walked back to the dugout.

Expectedly, the pint-sized player thanked Lara for believing in him, when he won the Man-of-the-match award on Sunday night. During the post-match presentation, Barath said, "My best Twenty20 innings. We set it up nicely in the middle for (Navin) Stewart and (Kieron) Pollard in the end.

"Brian Lara had a lot of belief in me, and he helps me a lot along the way. After this performance, hopefully we could go all the way and we should do well in the final."

On his part, T&T’s skipper Daren Ganga said, "Barath is a raw talent, and he makes it a little difficult for us now in terms of selection."

Barath’s brilliance on the field would have reposed the faith of myriad who drafted him in "the most promising players in the Caribbean cricketing circuit" list. It also ensured that the Lara protege will be on the watch-list of the bowlers across the world in the future.

On his team’s showing, the teenager said, "This unit has been playing together for a number of years. We have big players like Dwayne Bravo, Daren Ganga and Kieron Pollard.

"These guys are international players and our captain has good leadership qualities. I think unity is the best way forward," the 19-year-old said after the win.