CHENNAI: Hailing from Thahekhu village of Dimapur district, Hokaito Zhimomi doesn't even remember when he first started playing cricket. All he remembers is that it was his mother, Atula Zhimomi, who initiated him into the sport. An avid cricket fan, she used to listen to cricket commentaries on radio. Having played various sports in her school days, Atula later worked as a government teacher before quitting the job so that she can bring up her four children with Hokaito being the eldest among two sons and as many daughters.
Her love for sports and maybe the sacrifice she had to make might have prompted Atula to encourage Hokaito to become a cricketer. "Those days when we didn't have a TV back home, she used to listen to cricket commentary. I don't even remember how old I was then? But it was she who wanted me to become a cricketer," the 39-year-old all-rounder from Nagaland told this daily.
It must have needed a lot of guts and courage to arrive at the decision as the probability of failure was 99.99 per cent. Hokaito can't help but get a rude shock whenever he revisits those days and tries to understand what must have made his mother to chart a path for her eldest child, which no one from the state had dared to tread. "I still wonder how they (mother and father late Huzheto Zhimomi, who retired from Forest Department) encouraged me to play the sport given the non-existent facilities in the state at that time. I must say it was a very bold decision. It was my mother, who made me bowl with my left arm despite me being a right-hander. I don't know why but she always said different combinations work."
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Hokaito started his club career with Flamingos in Dimapur, which is owned by Watinuksung Jamir, a businessman and incumbent joint secretary of the Nagaland cricket Association. But before that Hokaito witnessed a flurry of rejections from various clubs in his village. And his cricketing skills were not the reason, it was his age. "I was the smallest among them and they were afraid I might get injured. So they never used to include me in the team. Every time I used to come back home heartbroken. This made my father to form a club and give opportunities to young and talented players like me. It was named Hero Ranger Club. We took part in tournaments in Assam as well and made a name for ourselves by winning a few of the competitions beating boys quite bigger than us, which was icing on the cake."
As he grew up, a similar initiative was taken by Jamir to allow him to make a transition to the professional level. "Uncle Wati gave me that first opportunity to play for his club (Flamingos) at a professional level and that gave me a clear vision of what I wanted from this sport. I took up the game seriously after I joined his club."
By the time he turned 14 or 15, Hokaito realised he had to move out of Nagaland if he wished to pursue the game seriously. The parents relented but gave him one year time. He moved to Guwahati, Assam and joined Nawab Ali Coaching Centre. "I stayed in as a PG there. In the very first year, I got selected to play for Assam Blues Club. With the club, we were scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom and we went to Kolkata to procure visas. That didn't work out but it gave me a broader horizon to explore. My uncle Kitto Zhimomi was then posted as Income Tax Commissioner in West Bengal and he advised me to move to Kolkata in my quest to become a cricketer. He convinced my father and hence the journey began. I stayed with him during my initial days in Kolkata. He helped me in all possible ways and without him I would not have achieved whatever little I managed to do," reminisced Hokaito.
Soon, he started playing for clubs in the city and his exploits with the bat and ball meant he found a place in the Bengal U19 team with Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha being his teammates.
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In 2008, Indian cricket changed for the better as the BCCI launched the Indian Premier League. The league turned out to be a launching pad for many aspiring cricketers and Hokaito was one of the beneficiaries even as he never played for any team. "As I was a pace-bowling all-rounder, Kolkata Knight Riders called me for trials. I featured in one of the intra-squad matches where Ricky Ponting was my captain. I might have missed out on an opportunity to play for them but then coach John Buchanan made sure I remained part of the extended team for the full season. It was a learning curve. Before that I used to watch all these stars on television but now I was rubbing shoulders with them. There was Ponting, Brendon McCullum, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul. But I grew quite close to Tatenda Taibu, former Zimbabwe captain. He was very religious then as well. Somehow we were always on the same page and that made us close friends."
Given his distinct physical features, he was mistaken as a citizen of Nepal by none other than Ponting. "He thought I was from Nepal and was quite surprised when I told him that I am an Indian citizen. In fact, Ponting and Shoaib wanted to visit Nagaland. The Pakistan pacer was insistent on visiting my state but somehow I convinced him to give up the plan."
During his days with KKR, even the co-owner Shah Rukh Khan used to call him by his name. Coach Buchanan was always effervescent in his praise for him and even dedicated a chapter to him in his book terming Hokaito a champion. "I too have heard about it but never got the chance to read the book."
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The stint with KKR might have given him a chance to play his trade with the greatest of the game but it could not find him a place in the Bengal senior team. "I waited endlessly for my chance to play first-class cricket for Bengal but that never happened. Finally I decided to move to Assam as they wanted me to play for them as a professional. I made my debut against Tripura and became the first Nagaland cricketer to play first-class cricket. After representing them for six years, I returned to my home state. In the due course of time, I led the Northeast team in the Duleep Trophy becoming the first Naga to do so."
Given his extraordinary feats, he is also one of the few sportspersons from Nagaland, who managed their way into the General Knowledge book of Class VI students of the state. Hokaito also completed Level A in coaching in 2018 and cleared Level B examinations when he took a break from cricket for personal reasons in the 2025-26 season. But his playing days are not over yet. "I have informed the Nagaland Cricket Association about my intention to play again. I will feature in local tournaments to reclaim my spot in the team for the next season," signed off Hokaito.
He might have crossed various uncharted territories in the last 25 years, carving a niche for himself and Nagaland in the process, but Hokaito is not yet ready to hang his boots. Who knows how many new chapters he will add to his book by the time he finally calls it quits.