An Interview with Paras Khadka

         

          

          This blog post is a part from an interview conducted with the captain of  Nepali national cricket team, Mr. Paras Khadka for the annual magazine of NCCS College, Palaa. Recently, I posted an interview with Ms. Samriddhi Rai from the magazine, Gossips with Samriddhi Rai. Khadka, nick named "Captain Cool" by fans is a right handed alrounder. Nepal has won many trophies under his captaincy and even reached T20 World Cup held in Bangladesh in 2014. 

Here is the interview presented in the magazine!! Enjoy!

What was the feeling when you played in the world cup? 

          The feeling was unbelievable. It was the best moment of our lives, not just players but the entire country. We had worked really hard and it was like a dream come true.

How was the environment in the dressing room during the world cup? 

          The players were very excited. We had to prove something and we did it by performing exceptionally well. Our players are very honest and they gave their 100% in the tournament. Overall the environment was very good.

After the world cup, expectations from the team have increased enormously. Does this add any pressure in your game? 

          I won’t say there is no pressure. There is pressure but it has become the part of our lives and we enjoy it. I think it’s our responsibility that we perform our best.

How did you think of being a cricketer at the first place? 

          As a child I never thought I would play cricket. But from the early days I used to play all forms of sports like cricket, football, basketball, table tennis etc. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to play for the national team and I grabbed those opportunities. I believe in getting inspired from people who have done well and try to do better in my respected fields.

Please tell us how you felt when you debuted for the national team? 

          The feeling was amazing. I debuted in 2004 against Malaysia in a 3 day match from the senior side. When I was playing in under-19 I used to think that I had no place in the senior side because the players were so good. But after my debut I haven’t looked back and I think I still have a lot to do and 

achieve. As a player I want our team to qualify for every world cup from now on.

Who is your idol? Why? 

          I don’t have any idols. As I have already told you I love sports. I used to play all forms of sports. But I do get inspired for other players. 

Which form of cricket do you regard as the true cricket? 

          Tests are still a long way to go. Currently we are playing ODIs and T20s. Both these formats are most important for us. We are focused on performing well in these two formats. We would be more than happy to get exposure of international cricket in both these formats.

What scope does Nepal have in international cricket according to your perspective? 

          We have a very good scope as we played really well in the world cup. We have a lot of things to do to increase the level of cricket in Nepal. For this, the structure of domestic cricket must be changed. Changes must be made for improvement. Today Sachin Tendulkar is not playing but still India is still playing good cricket. Similarly, tomorrow there won’t be Paras Khadka, Shakti Gauchan or Gyanendra Malla but still the level of cricket must go on at the same level. Therefore, that structure is really important.

What steps do you think must be taken to improve the standard of cricket in Nepal? 

          To improve the standard better infrastructure is required. Academies to produce better good players are still not well established. Post world cup the interest has increased a lot. Due to this craze for cricket in the younger generations has increased. Therefore, they must be provided with good platforms. The government of Nepal must be positive and along with CAN it must prepare concrete plan. Yearly calendars of cricketing activities must be made in order to improve standard of cricket. I hope the concerned authorities do what it is required for a better cricketing future of Nepal.

How difficult is it to manage time for the family as a player? 

          It is manageable. Most of the time we are outside due to camps but it is still manageable. Such a situation has not occurred where we have not been able to manage time for the family.

How tough is it to become a captain of the national team? 

          It is quite easy for me. I have become habitual to captaincy. I was selected as a vice captain when I was playing in for under-15 team. I was then selected as captain of under-15 and under-19 team. So coming to the senior team captaincy has become really easy as we have an amazing group of players. They keep pushing themselves to perform better. Hence as a captain it is an easy job for me to manage the players. But there is a responsibility as a captain as there are so many things a captain must do. Captaincy has become major part of my life. As a player I must play in the future so my first priority to perform well even if I am not the captain of the side. As long as I am captain I’ll try to be my level best.

How is the environment for the new players in the team? Are they supported well? 
          There is no feeling as senior or junior. There is mutual respect between all the players. Juniors respect seniors and seniors respect junior as well. Due to this there is a very good environment. We have accepted all the players the way they really are. We cannot change any one but the thing is that everything must be within the team boundary. Everyone must be disciplined. Rules and regulations are same for all whether they are senior or junior.

What changes have you witnessed from your initial days to the present? Are they positive or negative? 
          It’s very sad to say but there is no difference administration wise but the performance of the players have improved enormously. We still have only one ground and the condition of the ground has also worsened. No new ground has been in the process of making. The players have been doing well but development wise there is absolutely nothing. I wish this changes as the number of viewers has increased after the world cup. As the interests in cricket have increased sports must be run as business just like Premier league, IPL etc. Investments must be made to convert sports as business because there is market in Nepal. It is very important to bring sports culture in Nepal because culture is very important in any field move forward. 

How would you sum up your cricketing experience/career? 

          I think I’ve been very blessed. I’m a blessed child. I feel like god is looking after me. I work very hard in the field and try to give my 100%. If I had to describe myself in one word I would say I’m very honest. Everything I do I do it with honesty. Overall experience has been pretty amazing. Whatever I am today it’s because of cricket. My identity is from cricket. Cricket has taught me a lot of things about life. The saying that sports bring discipline in life is really true. Cricket will always be a part of my life. 

As a player what do you prefer? Bowling or batting? What is your favorite shot as a batsman? 

          As an all-rounder I have to both bowling and batting but batting is the preferred choice. My favorite shot is back foot punch.

Finally, what message would you like to give to the junior players and the fans?  

          First of all I would like to thank all our fans. They are the motivation for us. For upcoming players what I would like to say is that cricket will develop but it will take some time as Rome was not built in a day. It has improved drastically than before. It will improve but right people are required to run cricket in this country. If we get right people then I think cricket has a very bright future. So players must keep working hard but I think first priority must be given to education. They must first achieve basic education and then follow their dream.

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