After almost 12 years of highly successful domestic and unexplainably fluctuating international cricket career, Raju Basnet has called it a day. At 30, Raju helped Region No 3 Kathmandu become the inaugural national Twenty20 champions and announced his retirement from national and international cricket.
Apparently, he retired to seek a career in coaching; but the factors that encouraged him to say good-bye of ‘one of his life’s precious things’ are almost emotional.
“I could have played a few more years, but when I see that my team is the only team without a player from U-19 level, I felt it’s time to leave and create space for them,” the player, who also doubled as coach in last two national events for his regional team and won both, said.
Raju was also partly frustrated — for he could not convince his coach and captains for more international matches despite success at national level. Famed as unluckiest player, as he was dropped in the next match after taking five wickets in his debut match and incidents like that, the left-arm spinner played a fighting cricket.
In his two limited over international appearances, he took seven wickets — 5/7 in his debut and 2/33 against Afghanistan in ACC Trophy. And, he played in eight three-day international matches taking eight wickets and scoring 159 runs at average of 23.
“I still deserve a place in national team based on my domestic performance,” he said. “However, during my career, for some unknown reason, my coach and captains were not convinced about my abilities.”
Domestic level is where Raju did justice with his talents. In one-day nationals, he was the first bowler to reach 50 wickets and still second on the top wicket takers’ list with 58 wickets. In two-day nationals, he is at No 2 with 9 wickets. In recently concluded Twenty20, he took 11 wickets in six matches and is on third position.
He knows that the records will be forgotten, and he knows the way to make cricket remember him. “I will utilize my training to polish the talents,” he said. He had taken Asian Cricket Council/Cricket Australia Level I and II Coaching Course and Level I of Coach Educator’s Course.
“I will start training 150+ students at Golden Gate College and I am sure a few of them will be future stars,” he revealed his plan. “And, I am telling them not to think about what the future in Nepal’s cricket is but to think how they can contribute to the better future.”
Raju is one amongst a few who feel sports made them what they are now. “I earned name and fame, and also jobs as a player,” he said. “Though I always rue myself for not being able to do post-graduation.”
The cricket players on the bank of Dhobikhola had never probably thought that a fifth-grader whom they encouraged to bowl with left hand will see such a success. “I vividly remember when they asked me to bowl towards the end of the game and were impressed seeing me bowl with my left hand,” he remembered. “Sarju Nepal and Sameer Sharma used to come to my home to ask me to play.”
Early encouragement came from his maternal uncles, who used to play for Baneshwor Height Club, and his parents, Ram Kaji and Pratima. As a seventh-grader, he represented his school in Indo-Nepal BP Memorial Inter-School Cricket in Patna, Bihar, as opening seamer.
“The first breakthrough was, however, captaining Mahabir Club in the U-19 club cricket,” he added. He was then picked up for district team; played well in Birgunj selection and went to represent Nepal in ACC U-19 Cup in Hong Kong in 1997. His U-19 career spans two years that included 1999 ACC U-19 in Singapore and 1999 Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Happily married to Shailaja Khadka, Raju will continue playing club cricket for he ‘can never be away from cricket.’ So, there are still years the cricket fans will see the beloved ‘pot-bellied’ bowling and running hard, but that will gradually be rarer.
“My students will be there to replace me and I will be happy to contribute to cricket in Nepal,” he concluded with watery eyes that would otherwise be jollying on the day his team lifted the national trophy.
(As appeared in Republica national daily)