In recent days, Paras Khadka, captain of the national cricket team of Nepal has frequently been in the news for his cricketing sojourn laced with achievement galore that effortlessly arouses interest of sport aficionados.
Not surprisingly, he has become a darling sort of figure for the news media. The kind of attention he has generated and attracted, no doubt, is phenomenal and makes me truly believe that he is one of the most talked about and sought after athletes in the country, at the moment.
He is not even half way through his triumphant career but already his accomplishments outdo his six feet plus towering frame.
The twenty-five year old resident of Kathmandu has in a way transfixed and galvanized the media world by his sheer cricketing brilliance, genius and prowess. No wonder he is so popular with the media people and gets so much attention.
By virtue of tireless work and persistent ambition, young Khadka has plodded his way round very well to the top and proved his mettle on cricket’s big stage, time and time again. To this day he continues to strive for excellence and greater success.
This diehard Liverpool F C fan has established himself as one of the country’s most accomplished cricketers, and he deserves every bit of credit and praise he has got and gets. Despite the problems and difficulties facing Nepali cricket, he has achieved so much, so early.
Today he sits on a high pedestal and commands immense respect from his peers and fans like. The 2013 Pulsar Sports Award winner is a brilliant right-handed all rounder, and he has and continues to dazzle with both ball and bat.
Without a shred of doubt his candourness and openness on and off the field separates him with other athletes He has absolutely no fear to speak his mind when it comes to harsh realities of Nepali cricket.
He has a reputation for his outspokenness and criticism of Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) for their inept and failed policies.
From a very young age, Khadka harbored ambitions to become a professional cricketer and play for the country. He loved cricket with all his heart and his passion had no limit.
He plunged into competitive cricket eventually, driven by his passion and appetite to attain success at the highest level of the game.
He was very fortunate to have the full support of his family, especially his dad who constantly encouraged him to play the sport.
The youngster’s cricketing voyage took off at the age of 15, following his Under-15 Asia Cup debut in the United Arab Emirates in 2002.
Living up to his potential, he impressed the coaches enough that they picked him for the Under-19 squad for the Youth Asia Cup in Pakistan in 2003.
2004 was a very important year for the young lad. His promising career was further bolstered when he debuted for the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh and the senior side in the ICC Intercontinental in Malaysia.
And furthermore, he was a member of the U-19 World Cup squad that won the famous plate championship, beating Test playing countries South Africa and New Zealand.
His toil and effort, coupled with consistent performance paid rich dividends. He appeared in three Under-19 World Cups (2004, 2006 & 2008), and in 2008 he was awarded the captaincy of the U-19 squad.
Making the most out of all opportunities, he demonstrated every skill necessary to cement his place in the national team.
He, then went on to become the captain of the national team of Nepal in 2009. Since then he has tackled the leadership role with aplomb, poise, tenacity and intelligence.
His stunning “ Man of the Tournament” performance in the 2007 Under-19 ACC Trophy, the spectacular 12 wicket haul in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup , the grandiose “Man of the series” performance in the 2012 ACC Elite Cup and the masterly “ Man of the series” showing in the 2013 ACC Twenty20 Cup that remain vivid in our memories are testament to his skills.
So far, it is notable how steady his career progression has been. Should he keep going at his present rate, who knows, he might go down as one of the country’s greatest cricketers.
Khadka has led his team to the most dominant performance in recent times, something that’s not happened before.
The team finally managed to break the jinx by winning the all important 2010 ICC World Cricket League Division 5 after years of faltering, thus gaining promotion to Division 4.
2012 also proved a productive year for the national side in terms of success. Apart from winning the League Division 4 ( promoted to Division 3) in Malaysia , they shared the ACC Elite Cup with host the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
So far Khadka and company have had a great run this year. They made history by earning promotion to Division 2 , following their fantastic League Division 3 success in Bermuda.
Captain Khadka sparkled with the bat scoring 207 runs from 6 innings ,which included two 50s in the 2013 ACC Twenty20 Cup held in Kathmandu.Although they lost to Afghanistan in the final, Nepal qualified to the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier to be held in the UAE later this year.
The skipper was back into the limelight of professional cricket after he signed to play for the Ontario Cricket Club and Academy, in Canada for four months in 2012. He is all set to resign with the club.
The captain of Armed Police Force that plays in domestic cricket still has miles to go, and we can expect to see a lot more of Khadka’s brilliance and contribution in the days to come.
