Home
Over the years, we have seen several rags to riches stories in Indian cricket. Mainly, these things happen when a player is picked in Indian Premier League (IPL) auction or gets selected in the Indian team. But, Bengal batter Sudip Kumar Gharami did not become a huge star overnight. From living in a mud hut with bamboos on top, he earned his way to a well-constructed house with consistent performances at domestic level, using his earnings from Under-23 tournaments to pay for a proper roof over his parents' heads.
String of low scores
Gharami, who made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2020 edition’s final, has made his presence known in the quarter-final of the ongoing season. Against Jharkhand, Gharami had to come in to bat after opener Abhishek Raman (45) got retired out. Before stepping on the field at Just Cricket Academy Ground, Bengaluru, the 23-year-old had struggled to get big runs. In the last six innings of the tournament, he had scored just 75 runs from six innings.
Gharami makes it count
While the youngster had a cushion of a good start against Jharkhand, he had to give himself time to get back in form. He succeeded in doing that despite skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (65) leaving him early in the second session. On Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy 2022 quarter-finals, he shared an unbeaten 178-run partnership for the second wicket with Anustup Majumdar to help his side post 310/1 by the end of day's play.
He remained unbeaten for 106 off 204 deliveries. He hit 13 fours and one six to reach his maiden First-Class century. Previously, his highest First-Class score was 27 and he had an average of 14.42. But the team management persisted with him and the promising talent repaid their faith.
On the other end, Majumdar remained unbeaten for 85 off 139 deliveries including 11 fours.
Bittersweet beginning
In 2020, he made his Ranji debut for Bengal. He did not make a fairytale debut and scored 26 runs against Saurashtra while opening the innings. On the day, he made his Ranji debut, his parents moved to their new house in a city called Naihati which is 44 kilometres from Kolkata. Earlier, Gharami played Under-23 tournaments to save money for the house. In 2019, his team won the tournament which helped him achieve his dream of giving his parents a comfortable life.
“We had a kachha house before, made with bamboos. I gave my parents whatever money I earned from the U23 tournaments,” had told Sportstar two years ago.
Gharami’s mother is a home maker whereas his father was a mason. His father backed him to play cricket despite all the hardships.
Ganguly connection
While Gharami idolises Sachin Tendulkar, he has a Sourav Ganguly connection as well. Like Ganguly, he also made his Ranji debut for Bengal in the final clash.
The former Indian skipper who is current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President had also watched him bat. During an Under-23 game against Mumbai at Eden Gardens, Gharami scored 66 on a tough wicket. Ganguly felt that he threw his wicket away and should have gone on to score a century.
Task cut out for Day 2
Gharami will have a chance to help Bengal solidify their position with a mammoth total in the first innings of four-day game. Even if Saurashtra batters put up a big score, Bengal may go on to win on the basis of higher first innings score.
