From Shami to Deep: How Kolkata's clubs are fuelling hinterland dreams

Eighteen years ago, Sahaspur’s Mohammed Shami had turned up at Kolkata’s Dalhousie Athletic Club with a reference from his local coach Badruddin Siddique and a month's pocket money.

- Somshuvra Laha

He shared the tent space with other players, started earning ₹75,000 per year with the promise of biryani every time he would take a five-wicket haul. Six years later, he made his India debut at Eden, barely 800 yards from the Dalhousie AC tent. It's a story playing on loop in the last decade, featuring names like Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep.

Not everyone becomes Shami. But that doesn’t stop cricketers from dreaming big. Shami’s journey was a trigger for other cricketers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to make a queue for Kolkata clubs. In fact, all cricketers to have got an India call-up after Wriddhiman Saha—Shami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Kumar, Deep and Abhimanyu Easwaran (he has played A cricket and is travelling with the Test team)—were not born in Bengal.

Raju Mukherjee, former Bengal captain and a revered former BCCI scout, match referee and selector, puts it down to being at the right place at the right time. This is where Kolkata’s club cricket circuit plays a vital role. "These cricketers see Bengal as a place where they would get more opportunities," says Mukherjee.

Bengal has always embraced cricketers from other states. Six years with Delhi probably didn’t do enough justice to Arun Lal's potential so he moved to Bengal in 1980-81 with a job and an offer from Mohun Bagan. Ashok Malhotra left Haryana after making his debut for India. Saba Karim too switched to Bengal despite starting his domestic career for Bihar, primarily to stay in the national selectors’ visibility.