Discovered at the age of 14 and making headlines at 17! Sandeep Lamichhane is single-handedly responsible for putting Nepal on the world cricket map. With the Himalayan kingdom’s most recognised cricketer becoming part of the hugely popular T20 extravaganza—Indian Premier League—the leg-spinner will, hopefully, become a household name soon.
Bought for Rs 20 lakh by Delhi Daredevils, the teenager has plunged head first into the IPL with full enthusiasm. He is eagerly lapping up valuable tips from one of the finest batsmen and successful skippers—Ricky Ponting, who is the head coach. Former cricketers Praveen Amre and S. Sriram are also part of the coaching staff and are working closely with him. He is also an understudy to veteran leggie Amit Mishra in the team. He admits in a candidly refreshing manner that he was shocked to see an invite from DD for a trial with the team.
Ahead of DD’s training at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, Lamichhane spoke about the experience of being among top quality players and coaches: “Ponting is a fantastic guy, and loves the game as we do. There are a lot of things I learnt— from his entry to the ground, his passion for the game, his humbleness, kindness... it’s a precious moment to share the dressing room with such players.”
Ponting is not the first Aussie he has impressed. After catching the eye of visiting MCC team in Nepal, he was invited by one team member to participate in the inaugural Twenty20 blitz in Hong Kong. Here he impressed former Australian captain Michael Clarke so much that the latter called him over to play club cricket in Sydney.
From playing with associate-level ICC teams to rubbing shoulders with international stars, it is quite a learning curve. It's not easy to see your best deliveries being hit out of the park by the likes of Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw, the specialist batsmen in the DD squad. But he isn’t overawed. “I have got some experience bowling to these guys for the past two-three days. Some of the deliveries that the batsmen from the associate teams cannot hit, these players have the experience to smash it anywhere. We don't get that kind of exposure which will help players groom their cricket.”
The ever-smiling leggie is excited to be part of the biggest Twenty20 league in the world. The call-up from DD for a trial, signing the contract, followed by a fantastic performance in the World Cricket league Division Two in Namibia where he took 17 wickets and was declared player of the tournament... it all seems like a dream. In fact, he played a stellar role in helping Nepal reach the World Cup Qualifiers for only the second time ever.
“It has been two and a half years since our board has been suspended by the ICC. We were nowhere in cricket. After becoming an ODI nation now, we are getting lot of opportunities. There have been many ups and downs for us. My participation in the IPL and ODI cricket will help our cricket grow. The youngster is also the brand ambassador of Nepali cricket. The IPL is not the only domestic T20 league he has charmed—Lamichhane has also got picked in the Carribean Premier League draft by St.Kitts and Nevis Patriots team.
Nepal has managed to attain ODI status for four years, that is, till 2022. It is a huge moment for cricket followers in the country, said Lamichhane. “We always wanted to be an ODI nation. We are looking forward to do well in future. Our fans are like the 12th man!”