Between belief and balance: The quiet rise of Australia U-19 all-rounder John James
SOURCE:Times of India|BY:PRATYUSH RAJ
Australia U-19 all-rounder John James’ rise is rooted in belie. Shaped by family sacrifice, influential coaches and an old-school batting philosophy, James blends adaptability with mental clarity. With Bengal and Kerala roots his love for football is a no secret, a sport, he played till he turned 16. He wants to succeed as a leader and seeks inspiration from none other than Pat Cummins. The teenager is gearing up for U-19 World Cup, starting January 15.
John James (right) with Australia captain Pat Cummins during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney (Instagram | John James)
New Delhi: By the time John James speaks about belief, it is clear he doesn’t treat it as a buzzword.For him, belief is not motivational wallpaper or a pre-match cliché. It is something lived, driven between coaching sessions, nurtured in long car rides with his father, and sustained by people who never told him his dreams were too big.
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Cricket, after all, did not begin as the centre of his universe. Football did.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Growing up in Australia, James spent a decade chasing a football, not a cricket ball. From the age of six until 16, football was his first sporting love. Cricket arrived later, almost quietly, when he was around nine. Yet those formative football years shaped an athlete in him.
Australia U-19 all-rounder John James (Special Arrangement)
“I think a lot of my athleticism comes from football,” James says.
“Being able to field well, bowl long spells, it all correlates.”That word correlates keeps returning when he speaks. Nothing in his journey feels accidental. Everything connects.
Belief, before annything else
James’ foundation was built at home. Not with strict rules or forced ambition, but with freedom and trust.
Cricket can engulf your life,” James admits. “Having people around you who help take your mind off it
John James on role his family
“My parents believed in me,” he says simply. “They let me believe I could do whatever I wanted.”There were no ceilings placed on ambition, no reminders of realism when dreams grew loud.
That quiet confidence became his first competitive advantage.
John James is part of Australia U-19 World Cup squad
His father was ever-present in the early years -- driving him to training sessions, coaching appointments, and matches long before James had a licence. School days were often cut short so cricket could take priority. His mother, equally influential, carried a different role: emotional anchor.“If I was down after an innings, she was always there,” James says.
“Cheering me up, reminding me that I could do whatever I wanted.”Both parents are registered nurses, balancing demanding professions while shaping a sporting dream. Sacrifice, James understands now, wasn’t spoken about, it was lived.
I can be a batting all-rounder if I need to be. Or a bowling all-rounder. I’m not too picky.
John James
His younger brother, Thomas, 13, plays a subtler role. Equal parts support system and distraction.“He’s annoying,” James laughs. “But he means well.”More importantly, Thomas offers escape. FIFA games, flights of imagination, and a reminder that cricket does not have to consume everythin“Cricket can engulf your life,” James admits. “Having people around you who help take your mind off it”
It takes a village
James speaks about coaches with a frequency that reveals how deeply they’ve shaped him.
Technique matters, of course, but what separates good players from elite ones is thought.
John James considers himself a proper all-rounder
Right now, his journey is guided by Josh Miller. “Working with him isn’t just technical,” James explains. “It’s mental. Understanding the game, reading situations better than others.”The emphasis on mental clarity is deliberate. Cricket, at higher levels, becomes a game of decisions before execution.Another towering influence has been Anthony Clark, James’ former state coach.“Probably the best coach in the country,” he says without hesitation.
I’m aggressive naturally. But when I overdo it, that’s when I get out
John James
Clark’s strength, according to James, lies in how he sees cricket. Not just playing it -- but understanding it. Watching, analysing, anticipating.“He teaches players how to look at the game,” James says. “That cricket smarts influenced all of us.”Together, those influences have helped shape James into a player who values awareness over flash.
A pure all-rounder
Labels, James believes, are unnecessary.
John James plays an exquisite drive (Special Arrangement)
Batting all-rounder. Bowling all-rounder. Middle-order stabiliser. Floating option.“I’m just an all-rounder,” he says. “My ability with bat and ball is pretty similar.”Adaptability defines him. Team requirements dictate his role, not ego.“I can be a batting all-rounder if I need to be. Or a bowling all-rounder,” he explains. “I’m not too picky.”
I was born in Kharagpur. My family, they're all from Kerala. So we have quite a bit of family there, but quite a bit of family everywhere. I think I was a couple months old, when we moved to Australia.
John James
There is something refreshingly old-school about that approach in modern cricket, where roles are increasingly specialised.James’ batting philosophy is rooted in simplicity.“Singles first,” he says.Regardless of format -- T20s, one-day cricket, or the longer game -- his base remains unchanged. Build, assess, then expand.“I trust my defence,” he explains. “Once the time is right, I can turn defence into attack.”
John James at the Sydney Cricket Ground during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (Instagram | John James)
Aggression, he knows, must be earned. “I’m aggressive naturally,” James says. “But when I overdo it, that’s when I get out.”Keeping it simple, staying balanced -- that’s when acceleration comes naturally to James.
Roots across continents
James’ story stretches beyond Australia.Born in Kharagpur in West Bengal, he was only a few months old when his family returned to Australia. Yet India has remained an annual constant.“We try to go every year,” he says.His family roots trace back to Kerala, on both sides. Family spread across states, cultures, and time zones, yet deeply connected.
Probably the best three days of my life
James on being part of Australia senior team during BGT
"So I was born in Kharagpur. My family, they're all from Kerala. So we have quite a bit of family there, but quite a bit of family everywhere. I think I was a couple months old, when we moved to Australia," he says.
James BGT moment
One of James’ most vivid cricketing memories came not with bat or ball in hand, but with drinks.He was selected to run drinks in Sydney Test during last year this time in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
John James shares a light moment with Mitchell Starc during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney (John James | Instagram)
“Probably the best three days of my life,” he says.Up close, he watched his idols move, think, communicate. Observing the subtleties, what they did differently, what they did the same.One moment stood out. After Mitchell Starc bowled a thunderous over above 145 kmph, James approached him with water and made a light-hearted comment about finally letting his arm go.Starc laughed. “I’m getting too old for it, mate.”
He makes people believe. I think that's something I really look up to and something I want in my game, sort of.
John James on Pat Cummins
The aura he chases
Asked which cricketer makes him pause and think this is different, James doesn’t hesitate.
“Pat Cummins.”It’s not just the skill, it’s the presence.“Whenever he has the ball, something happens,” James says. “He makes people believe. I think that's something I really look up to and something I want in my game, sort of."
Australia's Pat Cummins celebrates with teammates (AP Photo/James Elsby)
That belief that intangible shift in team energy is what James aspires to carry.“If I’ve got the ball or bat in hand, I want the team to believe we can win,” he says. “Even in situations where it seems impossible.”It’s a lofty ambition. But then again, nobody ever told him dreams were too big.
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Staying grounded
Despite the milestones, James remains grounded. His game is still about basics. His life still about balance. Family, coaches, teammates, belief, it all threads together.“I think that’s what helped me be where I am today,” he says.Not a singular moment. Not one performance. But a web of support, patience, and perspective.And as Australian cricket looks toward its future, John James doesn’t shout for attention. He builds quietly. One single at a time.
