Bageshwar: A youth from a remote village of Uttarakhand has been selected in the state's under-25 cricket team making his village proud. Neeraj Rathor, a resident of Maholi, achieved this position after sheer hard work. Neeraj, who plays as an opening batsman is known for batting aggressively. After being selected in the team, he will participate in the national level Col CK Nayudu competition from the state team in the upcoming season, there is an atmosphere of happiness in the district due to his selection.
Taking to ETV Bharat, Neeraj said that he has been playing cricket since the age of 17 and his dream is to play for the country's team. He said he caught the attention of the selectors by playing some excellent innings this year. He showed his batting prowess by scoring a century in just 26 balls in the T20 match last year. With this unmatched innings, he came into the limelight for which the selectors have also included him in the state team.
Before Neeraj, local lads from Bageshwar, Manish Pandey, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti are leaving their mark at the national and international level. Neeraj's dream is also to make the area proud, he said. Right now, his focus is on the upcoming competition and is also targeting to play in the IPL and the national team. The young cricketer has been inclined towards the sport during his studies in Lucknow where his family has moved.
Earlier, he got his education up to Class 3 from the primary school of the village, then he went to Pathankot with his father, Ganga Singh who is posted as a Subedar in the army. Singh is currently posted in Jammu while his mother Parvati Devi lives in Lucknow with her two daughters. Neeraj, the only brother of two sisters, lives in Dehradun and runs a cricket academy.
