“I couldn’t fulfil my father’s dream, so I decided to enter coaching” - Cricket coach Manoj Rawat on Episode 8 of Dream Big Stories
Manoj Rawat’s father was very passionate about cricket and his dream was that his son should play the game. After India won the World Cup in 1983, Rawat himself dreamt of becoming a cricketer like Kapil Dev and wanted to lift the trophy for his country. With that motivation, he devoted himself to cricket.
Injuries, however, crippled his cricketing journey before his dreams could take flight. Rawat, though, did not lose hope and turned his focus to coaching. Today, he runs a coaching center in Dehradun, the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, where 90 boys playing from different age categories are honing their skills.
In episode 8 of 'Dream Big Stories', a project by SK Brand Studio powered by Dream11, Rawat opened up about his switch from playing to coaching. He recalled:
“Getting into coaching was an incident in my life. In 1993, I played University cricket for North Zone in Delhi and suffered two injuries. It took me one and a half years to recover. I felt that if I am not being able to further my career as a player, and that it could be due to lack of scientific training.”
Instead of sitting back and sulking, he decided to do something for the new generation of cricketers and young players. Rawat said:
“I couldn’t fulfil my father’s dream, so I decided to enter coaching.”
Topping the Level One course in Kanpur gave a further boost to his credentials as a teacher. He added:
"After I started coaching, I came to know that in Kanpur there is a Level One course, which is conducted by the BCCI. I topped the batch in Level One. I learnt a lot of things from there and I got good results after implementing them. That is the reason that in Abhimanyu Cricket Academy there are more than 90 boys playing from different age categories.”
Former U-19 cricketers Sumit Juyal, Arya Sethi and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been selected for India, have been part of Rawat’s academy. Many players of different age categories who represent their states are also part of the academy.
“If any of my players represent India, I will think that I am representing India” - Manoj Rawat
In 2018, Uttarakhand gained affiliation from the BCCI and Rawat was made coach of the U-14 team and assistant coach of the Ranji Trophy. Sharing his views on the same, he said:
“I was lucky that I was made the coach of the U-14 team and assistant coach of the Ranji Trophy team. We are working hard towards improving our team and players."
Learning with fun is the best method to teach a young cricketer, according to Rawat. Concluding his thoughts on coaching youngsters, he said:
“I am their (players’) mentor, father figure and friend. The dream that I had for myself, of playing for the country, if any of my players represent India, I will think that I am representing India.”
Rawat’s journey is a prime example of the fact that one can always find ways to keep one’s dreams alive, irrespective of the obstacles in the way.
Also Read: “It was my dream to work in mainstream men’s cricket” - Anuja Dalvi, first female physio in IPL, on Episode 7 of Dream Big Stories