1. Tell us about your
background and journey.
If I talk about my journey and background, I never found my
background so strong and supportive. This is because of the lack of support from my
family support for my career in sports. Specifically, my father does not like
cricket so he tends to be upset about my interest in this field. I started playing cricket
at the age of 11 with kids of my age.
We used to play with a plastic ball and gradually
I found my interest developing in cricket. Later on, my friends suggested me to
join a cricket club, probably they knew about my talent, capabilities and
attributes for the game.
Simultaneously, my father’s disliking for cricket was
a barrier in joining the club. Later, somehow, I convinced him and joined the Club.
I found the initial stage very tough due to the lack of support from my father.
2. How did you decide
to make your passion your career? Was your family supportive?
My brother, the most supportive person in my life, has
helped me in all the low phases. He stood by my side at every step and
thankfully, I convinced my father due to his support. When I told my brother
about my interest in making cricket as my career, he introduced me to his friend and an ex-cricketer in Indore.
We met him and then his friends agreed for my
participation and arranged a trial for me. And this is how I stepped into the
professional field and then moved on with his support. I believe I could not
be at this place without him.
3. Who is your
favourite player and what have you learnt from him/her?
My favourite player is MS DHONI. Not only the favourite player,
but he is my role model, my idol and my ‘guru.’ I have learnt numerous things
from him, starting from the need for calmness in the game to the way of tackling
problems.
I learnt how necessary is staying positive in facing failures and
problems. He taught me the way of facing problems on the ground and need of proper
coordination with team members and the list goes endless.
4. What is the level
of commitment and time required to make a sport a career?
For the people who are determined to build their career in
sports, there is a requirement of practising for at least 7 to 8 hours daily.
The more time in practising on the field would be more beneficial. I believe, dedication
and hard work is the main key that a sportsperson should keep in mind
throughout his journey.
5. How can we
encourage more youngsters to take up sports as a full-time profession?
I believe the interest and their determination can motivate
themselves. Instead of external factors of influencing, there is a need for
passion to play. In the cricket world, the most important aspect is hard work and
dedication towards cricket. If a player wants to make a successful career in
cricket or any other sports, then 4 main things he should keep in mind:
Consistency
Dedication
Hard work
Practise
These 4 things play an immense role in every sports field,
every player should practise daily and should work to improve his skills.
6. Which is your
favourite book and why?
My favourite book is ‘Sachin Tendulkar - The man cricket
loved back’. This book motivated me on how to play cricket at such a huge level.
It taught me the need of hard work in the right direction to play big. Also,
the book told me to stay positive in any situation.
This book is worth reading
as it has many important aspects and strategies that a cricketer should accept
and follow throughout his journey. I suggest every cricketer as well as sportsperson
to read this book.
Interview by - Himanshi
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