How it started, how it's going
From locking horns at the Under-19 World Cup to leading teams, these players have come far
When India play Hong Kong in Dubai, two old foes will be rejoining battle.
KL Rahul, now vice-captain of the Indian team, will come up against Nizakat Khan, who leads Hong Kong. The two first came up against each other in 2010, in New Zealand, at the International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup. Nizakat, the son of a retired police officer, was born in Attock, a northern region in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
Batting first at the Harley Oval where it had rained enough for ducks to waddle playfully in puddles, Hong Kong made 143 in 33.5 overs. Nizakat did not have a memorable game, being bowled by Sandeep Sharma, who would end up playing plenty of Indian Premier League cricket and two T20 internationals for India.
Rahul fared much better, making a strokeful unbeaten 62 alongside his statemate and buddy Mayank Agarwal. His touch play was evident even back then, with beautifully timed strokes over the offside being a feature of his game. India chased down the target comfortably in 24 overs, Agarwal being the only player dismissed after he had made 63.
A photograph of the Karnataka batting pair that your correspondent took after the game (below) has since gone viral several times on social media, without the source being acknowledged even once!
There is a different emotional connect and joy to being at Under 19 World Cups. Even in this age when players are tracked from their first school hundred or five-for, there is an element of the unknown. There is a sense of discovery, a definite feeling that you are watching the stars of tomorrow showcasing the best of their nascent ability.
Before India’s match against Pakistan at the Asia Cup, Rahul referenced this.
“I’ve played against a few of them in U-19 World Cups, followed their careers and it’s great to see them live their dream and us living the dream of playing for our country,” said Rahul. “After the game or before, everything goes away you become normal people, learn from each other, share experiences, It’s always been friendly.”
He may not have remembered playing against Nizakat Khan, but he definitely remembered Babar Azam, who was Pakistan’s star batsman in that World Cup.
While it was not guaranteed that Rahul would go on to have the glittering career that he has back then, Babar looked set for greatness. In India Under 19 stars can fizzle out, or choose to move away from the game and pursue more mainstream opportunities as the competition heats up. For example, Saurabh Netravalkar, who took the new ball at the time, is now a software engineer in the United States of America and plays for them.
During that tournament, an impressive young ‘un from Sri Lanka caught the eye with well-built innings at the top of the order with his left-hand batting. Bhanuka Rajapaksa is now here with the Sri Lankan team. Sharing his journey from then to now is Danushkha Gunathilaka, the allrounder.
There were others in that edition of the Under-19 World Cup who went on to make it big. From West Indies you would be familiar with the names of Jermaine Blackwood, Kraig Brathwaite, Shane Dowrich, Jomel Warrican and most prominent of them all Jason Holder.
England were picked well too, Yorkshire’s Azeem Rafiq leading a team that included Jos Buttler, Joe Root and Ben Stokes.
Cut to 2022 and Nizakat has a chance to score some brownie points against his old foe Rahul.
Hong Kong may be rank outsiders in this tournament and overmatched against first-round opponents India and Pakistan, but they are here because they got the better of more established emerging cricket nations, including the local United Arab Emirates team in the qualifiers in Oman.
For three months Hong Kong have been in the thick of cricketing action, playing home and away to fine-tune their game. This is not easy for a team of expats who are largely amateur cricketers, who manage two two-hour practice and training sessions three days a week, in the morning and evening, sandwiching their day jobs. While some of the players have coaching gigs, there are many who do food deliveries to supplement their income.
This group comes up against India’s players, who have every resource known to man at their disposal, who need to think only about cricket, day in and day out and have the money and might of the Board of Control for Cricket in India backing them.
This is why sport is a great leveller. For those four hours, when the two teams are out in the middle, all of this does not matter. It is bat versus ball, and, on the day, a Deliveroo driver could pick up the wicket of a billionaire for a duck.
The odds are stacked against them, but Hong Kong are viewing these matchups as an opportunity to show what they are capable of. Leaving the results aside, if they can do this, the sacrifices made and the journey travelled will be well worth it.