Going Places : India’s Small Town Cricket Heroes

Difficult as it is to become a top-flight cricketer in India, it is doubly so for those growing up in small towns and villages. Yet there have been inspiring exceptions who have not let anything deter them from realising their ambitions.
These men have made the transition from rice fields and akharas to hallowed sports grounds, from abject poverty and menial jobs to IPL riches, from tennis balls and rough-hewn bats to shiny, red leather balls and sponsored cricket bats.
Can you imagine losing Munaf Patel to a job in Africa or Harbhajan Singh to driving a truck in Canada? And can you imagine Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the man who led us to World Cup victory, acquiescing to his father’s wish and giving up cricket?
Here’s the story of the some of these men who made it big and how!