Cricketer Paras Khadka leads by example

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.