IPL 2017: Rahul Tripathi riding on inspiration from security forces
What’s the story?
Rising Pune Supergiant opener Rahul Tripathi said that he has been inspired by the Indian Army in his life a lot as regular visits to the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre in Pune, which houses Indian armed forces personnel who have been injured while on duty, has filled him with positive vibes that have helped him improve as a cricketer.
“I take away a lot of positive energy every time I come here (at PRC). Sacrifices by them (soldiers) is inspiring,” said Tripathi.
Tripathi’s parents – Col AK Tripathi and Saroj – are also regular visitors at the facility which is close to their residence and they believe that god has been showering blessings on their son for the goodwill that they have been carrying out regularly over the past five years or so.
“My wife would often fast on Thursdays and end it by offering fruits. We would donate those fruits at PRC. Rahul followed what we did and he too would contribute in the kitty and make larger donations of fruits. Since we have been doing that, Rahul has been rewarded with good success in his cricket. With God’s grace we will continue doing more donations,” Col Tripathi said.
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Gautam Gambhir has been in the news lately for all the right reasons with his brilliant batting and captaincy for KKR drawing headlines. More remarkable, though, was his promise to take up the responsibility of bearing the educational expenses of the children of the 25 CRPF personnel who were killed in a terrorist attack at Sukma recently.
Gambhir followed it up by offering the prize money equivalent of the Man-of-the-Match award won against Mumbai Indians to the families of the CRPF personnel. While Gambhir’s commitment has earned much praise, Tripathi is doing his little bit for the people who put their lives on the line for the nation in his own way.
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The heart of the matter
Tripathi, along with his RPS teammates – Jaydev Unadkat, Ashok Dinda, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar – were invited as special guests to the PRC on Sunday, leaving his parents overwhelmed as it is a place that means so much to them.
Col Tripathi revealed how they have been donating fruits to the facility for a long time now and is happy that his son has followed in their footsteps. The family is in no doubt that god has been helping out the family with his blessings as a result of their helping mentality and hopes that Rahul continues to make rapid strides in his career and eventually make it to the Indian cricket team.
Bought by the Rising Pune Supergiants for Rs 10 Lakhs – the first Pune-based player to be a part of the franchise – Tripathi has made rapid strides in the 2017 IPL, scoring 253 runs at a strike rate of above 150 from 7 matches as an opener alongside Ajinkya Rahane.
What’s next?
After missing out on his IPL debut that ended on just 10 runs, Tripathi has scored six 30+ scores on the trot and will come up against Gujarat Lions on Monday. Following Kings XI Punjab’s victory over Delhi Daredevils on Sunday, the fixture gains more importance as Pune aim to cement their position in the Top 4 of the IPL points table.
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Author’s take
It is always inspiring to hear stories about cricketers pitching in for various social causes. Even more so when it has to do with the personnel who put their lives on the line for the nation.
It is heartening to hear that Tripathi’s family has been doing their bit for more than five years now and it is good to see that they are enjoying their fruits of their goodwill.