AT THE CRPF camp in Odisha’s Maoist-affected Rayagada district, nobody knew Ravi Kumar. A handful knew his father, Rajinder Singh, an Assistant Sub Inspector. However Saturday evening modified all of it. Ravi, a left-arm seamer, nabbed 3 wickets for 14 runs — highlighted by way of a gap spell of 5-1-5-3 — to arrange India’s five-wicket victory over Bangladesh for a spot within the semifinals of U-19 Global Cup in West Indies.
It was once India’s sweetest second within the event but, as Bangladesh had crushed them to the trophy within the earlier version.
As of late, all of the communicate within the CRPF camp is set Rajinder and Ravi. “Kal tak toh koi Rajinder ko yahan janta nahi tha. Aaj sab saheb jante hai (Till the day gone by, nobody knew Rajinder right here. As of late, all of the officials know)… Ravi ka papa Rajinder is the debate of our unit right here. All of the officials have known as and congratulated me, I don’t have many phrases to precise my happiness,” an emotional Rajinder instructed The Indian Categorical.
The daddy-son duo needed to move a sequence of hurdles to savour this present day. The tale of Ravi was once one that just about didn’t occur. His mom was once frightened about her son taking part in cricket at all times, and sought after him to concentrate on lecturers and earn some extent. Ravi, unperturbed, would inform her: “Aaj aap mujhe rok rahi hai, ek din aisa aayega ki aap mujhe TV pe dekhoge (As of late, you might be preventing me however there’ll come an afternoon when you are going to see me on TV).”
Rajinder remembered this line when he watched his son slice the Bangladesh top-order, together with his incisive and slippery bowling, on his smartphone within the camp deep into the evening. He admits that there have been instances when he, too, was once frightened about his son’s long run. “I don’t have cash and assets to make him play for India,” he says.
Ravi Kumar’s father Rajinder Singh
However then, seeing Ravi’s force and dedication, he instructed him: “In case you have the ‘dum’, you are going to play for India.” That, his son did when he was once slightly 19. However now not prior to overcoming a number of setbacks. Realising that his possibilities of development had been bleak if he stayed in UP, Ravi known as his father after variety trials in Kanpur and instructed him he had heard discuss bribes for a spot within the state’s U-16 squad.
Rajinder knew that was once past his modest wage and financial savings. However the step forward second got here when a neighbour, who has a space in Kolkata, instructed Rajinder that Ravi may just keep there and play. Then simply 13, Ravi had no 2d ideas and packed his luggage. He began taking part in in the second one department prior to briefly jumping to first department. Misfortunes persevered to hang-out him, although, however he by no means instructed his oldsters about them. “I used to be in an U-16 camp however my identify was once got rid of after some exams, bone take a look at or one thing. I used to be now not given a reason why and I used to be out,” says Ravi.
And on every occasion he felt defeated, he sought motivation from his father. “Occasionally there are ideas that ‘yaar, yeh toh bahut tricky hai’ however then I take into accounts my father. Unke process se zyada aur kya tricky ho sakta hai (What may also be more difficult than his process)? Each day, he is going throughout the jungle now not figuring out what’s forward of him. On the similar time, he’s doing such a lot for us,” says Ravi, who dreamt of becoming a member of the Air Power and performed cricket “for amusing” prior to native trainer Arvind Bharadwaj noticed him.
Every now and then, he was once taunted. “I heard a taunt from my buddies that I gained’t have the ability to do a lot,” says Ravi. A few of them are praising him now, he says. He’s taking it as a existence lesson. “That’s existence. Something I’ve learnt is that handiest circle of relatives remains with you until the top,” he says.
Step by step, fortunes modified. Past due remaining 12 months, he was once picked for Bengal’s U-19 crew for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. His luck earned him a spot within the Challengers Trophy, a tri-series at house and the Asia Cup. However simply when future perceived to smile on him, he misplaced his uncle in Kolkata because of Covid.
Ravi has only one want now: “I would like other people to observe me and say ‘we must be like him’.” He is aware of although that this dream adventure has handiest begun, and there’s nonetheless an extended approach to pass. However for now, the celebrity of Rajnder’s son has travelled some distance past the partitions of a CRPF unit.
