Often we get to see the glamorous side of the game. We as humans have the incredible ability to pigeonhole people’s lives based on the infinitesimally limited knowledge of someone’s life. While their performances on-field when in the public eye may garner a great deal of appreciation, Cricketers and celebrities often suffer the brunt of public criticism owing to a lack of understanding of various factors influencing them in their daily lives. After all, they are human too. That is where a player’s family and friends, their support system, plays a vital role in how an athlete surfs through the crests and troughs of a cruel, uncertain field such as cricket where opportunities can be down to pure luck, the fickle mistress.

While struggles can be hard to deal with even for the best of players who have taken the journey before, for a youngster coming through the ranks, to say the confrontation and scuffle with reality can be daunting would be an understatement. Add to that the background of a player, having moved from a small town to the fast-paced life of a city like Bengaluru, life can seem brutal. 

Pavan Deshpande moved to Bengaluru when he was 16, dreaming of making it big one day in the cricketing world. Hailing from the Dharwad district of Karnataka, the southpaw now finds himself well in the mix in the Karnataka set-up and is a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the second time. 

However, success has not been easy to come by for 30-year old. In an interview with Deccan Chronicle dating back to 2018 when he was first picked up in the auction by RCB, Deshpande had confessed that he often feels homesick. But, as is the case for most of us, family comes to Deshpande’s rescue. “That’s when I speak to my mom. Whenever there are some important matches, she visits Bengaluru,” he says. When he is not busy with his cricketing commitments, Deshpande does not miss an opportunity to meet his near and dear ones back in his hometown of Dharwad. “When I go there, I meet my friends and family and that refreshes me,” says Deshpande.

Although he could not catch a break during his first stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deshpande has fought his way back into the fold with impressive performances in the Karnataka Premier League which saw him topping the run-scoring charts for his team, Shivamogga Lions. Hopefully, for Deshpande, who can tonk the ball long and roll his arm over with handy off-breaks, the second time with RCB will be the charm.

[Deccan Chronicle inputs]