Teenager Nair could bolt into Blues line-up

Arjun Nair’s stock is quickly rising with the off-spinner reportedly picked for New South Wales' Sheffield Shield squad to take on South Australia this week.

The Hawkesbury youngster has gone from Under 19 state selection to the brink of first-class cricket inside three months, only needing a single Second XI match to show selectors he was ready for the call-up, with Fairfax stating the youngster had been picked in the Shield squad for the Shield clash that begins in Coffs Harbour on Thursday.

His figures of 9-70 on debut, including 6-43 in the first innings against the ACT, sent a loud message to selectors that Nair was ready and at 17 years and 314 days, he is poised to be one of the youngest Australian first-class debutants since the turn of the millennium.

Selected by Greg Chappell and Graeme Hick for a tour of England as a 16-year-old in 2014, Nair was earmarked for big things and was rewarded with a handful of matches in British conditions.

Chappell highlighted Nair’s all-round abilities and said he would be one of the brightest young cricketers to watch coming through the Cricket Australia Pathway.

"He started as a batsman and the bowling took over, now he’s picking up with batting again which is good because it is important he offers something more than his bowling," Chappell told Fairfax.

But it was at the recent Under 19 National Championships that Nair's credentials skyrocketed, as he claimed 6-24 in a 10-over spell that turned the final and handed New South Wales a third-straight Kookaburra Cup.

Combined with a classy and patient 41 at the top of the order, Nair was named the inaugural 'Player of the Final' for one of the most dominant performances by an individual in tournament history.

His inclusion in the Under 19 World Cup squad was purely a formality and it showed as he claimed 10 wickets at an average of 10.6 and hit 106 from 89 balls against Pakistan in the warm-up tri-series in Dubai.

The immensely talented allrounder was also rewarded with a Community Rookie spot on the Sydney Thunder list in the KFC Big Bash League, sharing a dressing room with the likes of Jacques Kallis and Michael Hussey.

His father, Jay, quipped after Nair’s dominant performance in the Under 19 final that Arjun spent more time with the ball and bat than he does with his high school books.

Luckily for Jay, Arjun’s practice looks to have paid off via a much-deserved ticket to Coffs Harbour to take on South Australia and potentially show the public he is ready.