On a humid Thursday night at Eden Gardens, Mukul Choudhary played the kind of innings young cricketers dream about. His unbeaten 54 off 27 balls helped , clinching a tense win in the final over.
It looked like a breakthrough moment. In reality, it was the result of years of quiet effort.
Mukul grew up in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu, where serious cricket infrastructure is hard to come by. His father, Dalip Kumar Choudhary, always wanted him to pursue the sport, but didn’t quite know how to make it happen in the beginning. Money was tight, and opportunities were limited, but he kept looking for a way.
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That chance came when Mukul was sent to a cricket academy in Sikar. Back then, he was a medium-fast bowler, focused on making a mark with the ball. Batting was not the plan.
But one day, the team needed a wicketkeeper. Mukul stepped in. It was a small moment at the time, but it slowly changed the course of his journey. He began to spend more time with the bat, and people around him started noticing something different.
With his height and natural strength, Mukul had the ability to hit the ball a long way. His coaches worked with him on the basics – how to stand, how to swing, how to find the right connection. Over time, he developed into a clean hitter, someone who could change a game quickly.
The journey, though, was not smooth.
Living away from home wasn’t easy, especially when a skin allergy made hostel life uncomfortable. His family stepped in again, renting a place nearby so he could continue training without worrying about his health. It was a simple decision, but an important one.
As his game improved, Mukul moved to Jaipur to train at the Aravalli Cricket Academy, where he got better exposure and competition. It was a big step, but also a tough one. Once again, his family made it easier – his mother and younger sister moved with him so he wouldn’t feel alone. Slowly, things began to fall into place.
Recognition at the junior level led to bigger opportunities, and eventually, his name came up at the auction. picked him for Rs 2.60 crore, a moment that made all the years of effort feel worth it. And then came Eden Gardens.
The shots he played on Thursday were confident and audacious, but they also carried a story – of a father who backed him, a family that stood by him, and a journey that took its own unexpected turns.
“My journey actually started even before I was born,” said Mukul in the presentation ceremony, in which he was declared player of the match. “My father had a dream that one day his son would play cricket. But back then, our financial condition wasn’t strong, so I couldn’t start early. I began playing at around 12-13 years of age. There weren’t many academies at that time.”
