I was born in 1990. In my childhood the first lessons of cricket I learnt was in Varanasi. Slowly coming into the game I gained some batting skills mostly a defensive batsman who rely's mostly in singles and doubles. I was around 12 - 13 years at that time. This totally matches with my nature. In real life too I am a very cool person who stays calm under whatsoever circumstance. I gained a bit of into cricket and started growing some batting techniques in my batting by that time.
Later transferred to Kolkata I grown a lots of interest in cricket while watching it in television. At that time Rahul Dravid was my role model as a batsman and also as a person. I liked his nature of being a gentleman and also his approach which I can easily follow. I remember one of his interviews in a newspaper I read which also had an impact on me as a person. In between that one day a tutor came to our house and I took few days teaching from him. His name was Mithun and he was among the coaching staff in douglas grounds a cricket coaching club in Kolkata nearby my place and also nearby the home of Sourav Ganguly the Indian captain at that time. The club was infact owned by father of Ganguly few years earlier. Mithun asked if i would like to join the club and at that time I was having little idea of getting cricket coaching, had said no. I was 14 at that time around.
Couple of years passed I got some interest in making a career in cricket. The year was 2005 and I was 15. Specially after watching the sports. I feel the Indian team which was at time having the passion in them had made an impact on me and grown some love within me for the game. I asked my family and they were totally against it as in every family the parents wanted their child to study rather play. But I felt the passion and was very much dedicated to make a career in the game. After much arguments they decided to let me try and were pretty much sure I will fail.
Few days later I had gone to discuss for a trial there in the very douglas ground. I was 15 then and they agreed to take a trial. Few days later I was asked to go for the trial and I had gone there on a saturday. I was given an old ball and asked to bowl. I started with my natural action sticking to line and length and in front of me was one of the main under 16 batsman of the club. He was defencing me in the beginning. Slowly I gained confidence and started bowling with pace and had been able to get bowled him once and get his edge couple of times. Even Mithun was there and others were mostly convinced with the pace I generated. Mithun was even happy to test me with older players as I had a good height even at that time at 15. While bowling at pace some players watching me were excited and named me Thakurpukur Express as I used to stay in a place called Thakurpukur at that time which is nearby the club. While bowling I was feeling at an other level of energy and my dreams seemed to be completing in front of my eyes. That day had always stayed in my mind as yet the best day of my life.
Later I had gone two more days in the club in which one day I played a practice match within the club players. That was with the senior players of the club. I didnt bowl but fielded well. The other day was a fitness and fielding training. I was impressive with my catching and fielding though I was asked only to work a little more on the fitness due to the levels required. After these days as I asked the coaches and Mithun and they said I was selected and can continue and practice for the club.
But the next day when I was getting ready to come up for the club my family scolded me a lot and in fact so much that I just had to leave my dreams to be a cricketer and go to the club any more. I never can inform them and my last day in the club had already been passed. Even after that some of the days I saw few players from the club near my residence and they trying to get an idea if I would join the club from other nearby boys. From that thing, even some of the boys in the area I didnt ever interacted get to know me. But in the end I was never able to get to the club again. I always thought if I could get another chance somehow I would try out my skills and luck.
In college also my brother was with me who prevented me from playing much and in the end of my college I was almost at an end of my dreams of being a cricketer. But the whole story had an impact on me as I can never fulfill my first ever dream of my life. After ten more years when I was 32 I started back playing cricket a bit and played few matches in the span of two years. But with the fitness, energy, practice and dedication for the game at this phase of life my performance was never among one of the top rather poor. But still I had some happiness playing the game so I used to play at times though very rare.
But the dream had already ended when I was 15 and only the memories are their with me still existing.
