Once upon a time in IPL with Pune Warriors

Not so long ago,Kamran was hailed as the “next big thing” by none other than Shane Warne,the then captain of Rajasthan Royals. That was before the on-field umpires reported him for suspect action during a match against the Chennai Super Kings in 2009,just a few days after he marked his presence on the field with a tremendous ability to generate speed.

While the Royals retained him the next year,he was picked by the Pune Warriors in their maiden season in 2011. He played only one match then,and none in 2012.

“That’s when the taunts began,” says Kamran. From being invited as chief guest to every event in his village,the cricketer became an easy target.

“It’s almost like they were waiting for me to fall,” he says. “Not many people here understand cricket. They now tell me how useless I am,and how my career is over because I chuck.”

At first,the taunts hurt. “Now,I’ve learned to ignore it. Instead,I spend my days training for a comeback in the mornings and evenings. During the day,I work on my brother’s farm,keeping to myself,away from the rest of the villagers,” says Kamran.

“Earlier,I used to work on the farm only,” he says. “But I had to stop a few years ago as I was busy with cricket.” And when he gets time off from farming and training for his second innings,he turns on the television and catches up on the IPL scores.