He has been a porter at a truck depot, worked in the field as manual labourer and spent time as an electricians’ assistant. At times Salim Veragi had to sleep on an empty stomach. For the 21-year-old, life at Tankariya, a village in Bharuch district that Indian Railways is yet to discover, was tough. But one fine day two years ago, Veragi—the deadly bowler on the tennis ball circuit in his village—walked 10 km to Palas and took a train to the region’s cricket hub, Vadodara. The journey was certainly worthwhile, as Veragi last week opened Baroda’s bowling in the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Indore.

Another small town star story? Maybe more grim.

“Some days our family had to manage on just plain rice. We couldn’t afford anything else. I was scared we may one day be out on the streets, begging,” says Veragi.

Those hand-to-mouth days ended a year ago, after Veragi’s elder brother got a job in Saudi Arabia. And after Veragi’s Rs 1.5 lakh earning from the four-day cricketing assignment in Indore, Tankariya will have a new neo-rich addition on the social scene. “It just makes me laugh when I compare my previous and present pay packets. What I couldn’t dream of getting in years back home, now I make from four days of cricket,” says Veragi.

Travelling to Vadodara meant Veragi had to spend Rs 50. He learnt to drive a tractor. “Late at night I used to plough the fields for land owners. At times I used to contribute some money for the family’s monthly budget and the rest was for my cricket trips to Vadodara,” he says.

... contd.