U-19 WC hero Manjot Kalra's mother says he bunked tuition to play cricket

Manjot blew away the Australians with his unbeaten 101 runs, lifting India to its fourth ICC U-19 World Cup.
Delhi-boy Manjot Kalra emerged as the man for big occasion, scoring a sublime 101 not out off   102 balls. (Photo | Twitter)
Delhi-boy Manjot Kalra emerged as the man for big occasion, scoring a sublime 101 not out off 102 balls. (Photo | Twitter)

NEW DELHI: Majlis Park in northwest Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar, a fairly well-to-do locality, has a new address: single-mindedness. It also has a new name and face: Manjot Kalra.

Manjot blew away the Australians with his unbeaten 101 runs, lifting India to its fourth ICC U-19 World Cup. Like Virat Kohli before him, Manjot is a Delhi Punjabi lad. Adarsh Nagar will now forever be indexed to his name.

“Parents should not stop their kids from playing any sport. I never stopped him (Manjot) from playing cricket. He used to miss some tuition classes. He was more interested in playing cricket than in study but today his efforts and sacrifices turned into god’s blessings,” a beaming Ranjit Kaur, Manjot’s mother, told The Sunday Standard.

The neighbours were congregating in a shamiyana that was put up in front of their three-storeyed house. Mother Ranjit Kaur, unused to the jostling by television crews was tired but was grinning from ear to ear. Manjot’s father, Navin Kumar, who is recovering from a surgery barely stepped out. “You will take rest fully. I will do my job,” Manjot had told him before leaving for New Zealand, recalls his mother.

Naveen Kumar is a whole-sale dealer in fruit. The family’s isn’t exactly a rags-to-riches story. But it is the focus that it instilled in Manjot that his friend, Rahul Bagga, recalls. “He was always with a cricket bat in his hands.”

Coach Suresh Kumar Batra who took Manjot under his wing 11 years back says his strength is his “hand and eye coordination.” “In the final, Manjot played very well. His hand and eye coordination is his strength, which makes him an extraordinary player, though in his last two matches, he made some silly mistakes. But he overcame those and settled down well in the final,” said Suresh Kumar.

Adarsh Nagar’s Majlis Park has planned a grand welcome for their son’s return. The neighbours have planned to light up the colony for three days.

“Manjot was living here since ages, here neighbours are like one family. We are very happy that Manjot has made this small colony famous. We have decided that every house will install lights in their houses to welcome him,” said Rahul Bagga, a friend of Manjot.

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