I've waited for three years...this is a dream come true
Ruaraka A Batsman Pushkar Sharma plays a delivery against Sikh Union on during the NPCA 50 Overs Super League match at Sikh Union Ground on August 8, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The match will kick-off at 2:45pm at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.
After three years of anxious wait, Indian-born Kenyan cricketer Pushkar Sharma is finally set to realise his dream of turning out for the Kenya national cricket team.
The left-hand opening batsman could make that milestone achievement in his cricket career on Thursday when Kenya face Saint Helena in their opening match of the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup Sub-Regional Africa “A” qualifiers.
The match will kick-off at 2:45pm at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.
Rwanda, Mali, Malawi, Lesotho, Botswana and Seychelles are the other countries that Kenya will come up against in the first round of the T20 World Cup qualifiers.
And with coach David Obuya having singled him out as one of the players he will be relying on for an improved performance by his top order batting department, Sharma is psyched up for the assignment, promising to be instrumental for the team.
“I know my role and I want to give a good start to the team. I am excited to play in Rwanda,” said Sharma, who only became eligible to play for Kenya in September.
“It really is a dream come true for me. I waited for three years to be in the team so this means a lot to me. I am honoured to represent this country and I will do everything I can to make this country proud.”
Speaking last Friday at Sikh Union Club in Nairobi during the unveiling of the 14-man Kenyan squad for the tournament in Rwanda, Kenya’s coach David Obuya said: “The top order batting challenge has been addressed in the sense that we now have new boys coming into the team.”
“We have Pushkar Sharma who will be taking the role of the opening batsman and we have the experienced Collins Obuya who will be partnering him.”
Sharma, 22, began his cricket career at Al Barkaat School in India. He rose fast in the sport to become the captain of the Under-16 Mumbai Cricket team.
Indian cricketers Prithvi Shaw, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Arjun Tendulkar are some of the top players he played with at Mumbai.
He moved to Kenya in 2018 after securing a job with Hiarani Telecommunication where he is currently the Marketing Manager. He plays for the Ruaraka Cricket Club “A” in the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA) 50 Overs Super League.
Last season, Sharma emerged the NPCA’s top scorer with 841 runs in just 14 innings with four centuries and three half centuries to his name.
He says his burning desire to play for Kenya is because of the several big names in cricket that country is known for.
“When I was young, I remember the Kenyan cricket team that was really good. We had the likes of Thomas Odoyo, Tom Tikolo, Kennedy Otieno and Lameck Onyango among others. It is every player’s dream to represent a country and for me to be associated with those big names,” said the Ruaraka batsman, who in 2020 landed a five-year sponsorship with IndiaFirst Life Insurance.
Kenya being the senior side in the Sub-Regional Africa "A" qualifiers is likely to stroll to victory against Saint Helena.
The top two teams in the Sub-Regional Africa “A” qualifiers will progress to the regional contest where Namibia, Uganda and Zimbabwe await. They will be joined by the top two teams in the Sub-Regional Africa “B” qualifiers.
The 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the West Indies and the United States.
