SAS Nagar (Mohali), September 12: Ludhiana Lions’ Krish Bhagat took the field in the Mankind Pharma Sher-E-Punjab T20 League Powered by Punjab Kings fixture against Amritsar Soormas at the I.S. Bindra Stadium in Mohali. It was an important game for the Lions as their place in the semi-finals was yet to be confirmed.
The Lions needed a combination of results to go their way to march into the last four. But for Krish, the game was about much more than qualification.
The youngster had lost his grandfather, Chunni Lal Bhagat, Former Cabinet Minister, the previous night, and taking the field in the Ludhiana jersey became his way of paying tribute to him. Krish made the moment even more special by dedicating a wicket to his grandfather.
“Dadu passed away last night. He inspired me a lot, so I dedicated this wicket to him. He came from Pakistan and when he arrived in India, he did not even have a place to stay. His journey has inspired me a lot, and that is why I dedicated the wicket to him,” he said.
Krish started his cricket journey at a very young age. Coming from a family involved in the sports manufacturing business, he developed an early interest in the game after seeing bats at the family factory.
“I was only five when I started playing cricket. Whenever I used to go to my family’s sports manufacturing factory, there were bats there and I used to get fascinated by them. I started insisting that I wanted to play cricket, so my family put me in an academy and I kept playing,” he said.
His family, he added, never put pressure on him to balance his studies and cricket. Instead, they encouraged him to give his best to whatever he chose to do.
“My family never put any pressure on me. They told me to commit 100 per cent to whatever I was doing,” he said.
Krish never seriously considered any other sport and remained focused on cricket as he grew up.
“I never really tried any other sport. There is such a big craze for cricket in India, and I enjoyed playing it with my friends. I used to go to the park and play cricket. As I started playing competitive cricket, I knew this was the sport I wanted to pursue,” he added.
The Sher-E-Punjab T20 League has also given Krish valuable experience, especially when it comes to adapting to different conditions and match situations.
“I am learning how to adapt to different situations and conditions. We have back-to-back matches and the pitch is being used a lot, so its behaviour keeps changing. Learning how to adapt to the conditions has been one of my biggest takeaways from this league,” he said.
Krish also stressed that his focus in the tournament has been on helping Ludhiana Lions rather than chasing individual goals.
“I did not come into the league with any individual goal. I just wanted to help my team win. I still want to take the team all the way,” he further said.
Asked about his cricketing idols, Krish named India all-rounder Hardik Pandya and former South Africa great Jacques Kallis.
“My idols are Hardik Pandya and Jacques Kallis. I continue to take inspiration from both of them,” he concluded.
