Meet Hokaito, India’s first cricketer from Nagaland

Meet Hokaito Zhimomi, India's first ever cricketer from the state of Nagaland, looking to make a name for himself in mainstream sports. North-East has produced scores of top athletes and sportspersons for decades, but Nagaland has been an exception, with no history of producing a home-bred sportstar on the national stage.

Playing club cricket over the last five years or so in the Kolkata Maidan, 22-year-old Hokaito may not have stood out with exceptional performances in the city's club circuit. But the boy from Dimapur, in Nagaland, has definitely become one of the most talked about names in Kolkata’s sports circuit after he got the call-up to train at the Eden Gardens with the Kolkata Knight Riders. In the few days of nets at Eden with Sourav Ganguly, Ricky Ponting & Co, Hokaito stood out with his liveliness.

The chirpy Nagaland player, who is currently playing for popular city club Dalhousie AC, honed his skills in the game under former national selector-turned-coach Sambaran Banerjee at his southern Kolkata coaching academy.

After spending a year with Gymkhana Club, Hokaito was signed up by Victoria Sporting Club, before eventually switching over to his present club. And all along, under former national selector Sambaran Banerjee, Hokaito has been specialising in his all-round skills, and making a name for himself over the last five years of training. Says Banerjee: “He’s a rare talent. I say this because not often do you see a player bowling left-arm pace and batting right-handed as a big-hitter, and then backing it all up with impressive fielding and fitness. Hokaito hails from the hills, which is why he is a remarkably tough guy out in the field.”

The wiry player said: “When I started playing cricket, there wasn’t anybody back home who played cricket. But today, things have changed in Nagaland.”