Ajit Pahalwan, a resident of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, tried making headway as a cricketer there, but did not have much luck. He then moved to Delhi only to draw a blank in terms of opportunities. On a friend’s advice, he came to Mumbai in 2017. And though he found avenues to hone his skills in India’s cricketing capital, there were struggles on the other side of the pitch as it were. Today, Pahalwan, 22, plays for various Mumbai Cricket Association-affiliated teams and is on the right path to becoming a well known name on the local circuit.

Hard times

“I had no place to stay in Mumbai. I used to practise during the day and sleep wherever I could find place — sometimes at construction sites — or even Malad railway station. “I went to Shailesh Dubli Cricket Academy and eventually got a chance to play. The coach there asked me to come and practise every day. I would walk to the field and eat whatever little I managed to get,” Ajit tells Sunday mid-day.