On May 1, 2023, fans had gathered in Kirtipur to watch Nepal play UAE in the summit clash of ACC Premier Cup. Unfortunately, the match had to be postponed to the following day because of incessant rain. Just a mere glance through the videos on social media would tell you much about the unabated passion the fans have for the game, as they waited patiently for long hours in persistent rain under umbrellas of vivid colours.
The match resumed on Tuesday, May 2, and Nepal charted a memorable win as they beat the UAE by seven wickets to qualify for the forthcoming Asia Cup. It isn’t the first time this year that Nepal have given thousands and thousands of cricket fans in the country something to cheer about. Just a few months ago, the Rohit Paudel-led side had scripted a remarkable turnaround, winning 11 out of 12 matches in CWC League 2 to progress to the World Cup qualifiers to be held in Zimbabwe.
Incidentally, the superhero of Nepal’s wins in the ACC Cup final and CWC League 2 games turned out to be Gulshan Jha, who is just 17. He had composed a vital 48-ball 50 in the CWC League 2 game against the UAE at the Kirtipur ground to power his side to a tense nine-run victory via the DLS Method. And against the same opponent, Jha cracked an 84-ball 67 in the Premier Cup final.
In both the games, he played with a sense of bravado. Interestingly, Jha, a pace-bowling all-rounder, was expected to be a part of Nepal’s Under-19 set-up, but the coaching staff were keen on having him in the national side for the last leg of the CWC League 2. Eventually, the move to draft him into the side paid off. After the completion of CWC League 2, Monty Desai, Nepal’s coach, had shared an interesting anecdote about Gulshan to RevSportz.
“Gulshan… he had to miss out on his Under-19 qualifiers,” said Desai. “When I had a conversation with him and asked, ‘what is your wish? You want to play Under-19s or play for the men’s team where you may not get all the chances, you will have a role to play’, he was very clear (about his goals and said), ‘Sir, even as you go up through the ranks in the age-group, one day you want to represent the national side’. I was so impressed by that comment.”
Nepal’s tremendous achievements over the last few months aren’t just down to one man. It has been a collective effort, with a youngster marshalling the resources. Paudel, all of 20, was named as the captain last November. Since then, he has led from the front not just with the bat, but also his leadership qualities. In the ACC Cup, his 94 was instrumental in guiding Nepal to a sizeable score against Kuwait in the first semi-final.
Nepal qualify for 2023 Asia Cup
And there is something about Paudel’s leadership qualities. To gain further insight about his captaincy skills, let’s travel back to the CWC League 2 and hear what his coach has to say, “During the 213-run chase (two-wicket win against Scotland), where our captain Rohit Paudel scored 95, he was very clear what position he wanted to walk in,” said Desai. “He wanted to take responsibility upfront. He went there and played very positive cricket.
“In the last match, Rohit was clear about the fact that we want to score 70-plus runs in the Powerplay. If he had to lose an extra wicket, we don’t mind that. But we will take a risk. It was at the backend of the powerplay that we lost Rohit, trying to take a risk of attacking the left-arm spinner, going over mid-on.”
Kushal Malla, the 19-year-old opener, and Bhim Sharki were also star performers for Nepal in the Premier Cup, with 238 and 147 runs. There is a compelling story behind Sharki’s emergence. He wasn’t even a part of Nepal’s side for a while, but Desai had seen something special in him when he was with the Nepal Under-19 set-up. He picked Sharki during the course of CWC League 2, and the team hasn’t looked back since.
Sandeep Lamichhane, their experienced leg-spinner, has been embroiled in a major controversy in the recent past. But that hasn’t stopped him from taking 27 scalps in CWC League 2 and 13 wickets in the Premier Cup. “For his on-field performances, I do give him credit: throughout, in his attitude, he showed a lot of gratitude for getting the chance,” said Desai. “The mentality, the hunger, he has done some visualization of what he is going to walk into in the future. He came back strong with his skills.”
Lamichhane’s wrist spin was complemented by Lalit Rajbanshi’s accurate left-arm spin in the Premier Cup. He bagged nine wickets at an economy rate of 3.28. Sompal Kami and Karan KC, the two seam-bowling-all rounders, also offered some heft with bat and ball.
Now, they will lock horns against India and Pakistan, the traditional Asian giants, in Group A of the Asia Cup. It is going to be a baptism by fire for the Nepal side. But there is passion in everything that Nepal are doing at the moment – on and off the field. So, you expect Nepal to have loads of self-belief, even when they take on the two powerhouses.
Long ago, in November 1999, Bob Simpson, the former Australian captain and coach, had worked with the Nepal age-group sides. He had then told Sportstar: “If you fancy a game of cricket in the foothills of the Himalayas, then Nepal is the place for you. Yes, the fascinating Kingdom of Nepal is now one of the fastest growing cricket nations in the world.”
Some 24 years later, his prophetic words are coming true, with Nepal finally making waves in the cricketing landscape. Hopefully, there is more to come from a rugged and proud nation.
Coach-player rapport foundation stone for Nepal’s epoch-making moment