The atmosphere was electric with anticipation, and there gathered the family, friends, and neighbors of 23-year-old Ashwani Kumar Rana, who had made such a remarkable debut in IPL for the Mumbai Indians. There was cheering, laughter, and bursting of crackers-a pure atmosphere of joy and pride. In the midst of it, a humble cycle and a shining trophy were held aloft by the father of Ashwani, Harkesh Kumar Rana, along with mother Meena, elder brother Shiv Rana, and plenty of well-wishers.
As Ashwani created a stir slandering the batting line-up of Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede, a gush of pride overcame all his family and friends. The remarkable wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell (talking of pressure wickets) were the icing on the cake on Ashwani’s fantastic debut.
Ashwani Kumar’s Inspirational Journey
Like Ashwani’s performance in dismantling the Kolkata Knight Riders‘ batting line-up at Wankhede, taking the cherished wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell, his father was not watching, but on an old bicycle. That cycle stood for Ashwani’s long, often eleven-kilometer sprawl from Jhanjhari to the IS Bindra PCA stadium in Mohali, where dreams started to take form in cricket.
“Rain or shine, Ashwani never missed his training, Sometimes he cycled, sometimes he took shared autos. I remember giving him just 30 rupees for the fare, and today, when he was picked up for 30 lakh rupees by Mumbai Indians in the mega auction, I realized his hard work had finally paid off” recalls Harkesh Kumar, struggling to hold back tears.
