• Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura 

Agartala, December 21, 2021 : Getting a chance for talents at the national level is indeed an incredible dream for every youth of our society. And such an instance had been set-up recently by a 25-year old youth of Kailashahar, which is about 156 kms away from Agartala city of Tripura.

Devaprasad Sinha, son of Krishnanaman Sinha and Rubi Sinha, a retired headmistress of Shishu Niketan school of Kailashahar received a call for trial camp from ‘Royal Challengers Bangalore’ recently and left on December 18 last. At present, he is at Kanpur attending RCB’s trial camp before the final selection of the players for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as the national cricket team.

The trial call is not only a major booster for Devaprasad but it will also usher a new direction in the cricket history of Tripura. This will act as a moral inoculation for the cricket-loving youth of the state.

Hailing from a family of cricket lovers led him to develop a passion for this sport since his school days. Mantosh Sinha, a renowned cricketer of the 1980s and maternal uncle of Devaprasad taught him the basic rules of cricket. Meanwhile, his uncle Ashoke Sinha and his cousin Arkoprobho Sinha were Ranji Trophy players.

Devaprasad gradually mastered the art of cricket under the guidance of Mantosh Sinha. He already captained the state U-14 team and achieved remarkable achievements. He also represented the state as a member of the Tripura U-16, U-19 team and U-23 state team.

Speaking with Northeast Today, Devaprasad claimed that his dream seemed to become true. “Getting a call for a trial in RCB, really matters a lot for me. Today, I am returning home. In February or March, the selectors may call me”.

Claiming to be an all-rounder in cricket, he said “I will give my level best to get selected for RCB. My best performance was against Jammu and Kashmir state team and scored 60 runs along with six wickets. As a member of the under-16 team, I could manage to take 10 wickets against Jharkhand.”

Appreciating the role played by the Tripura Cricket Association, he said TCA is trying its level best for the development of cricket in the state. Under the guidance of TCA, more such cricket talents will be able to wear jerseys of the national team in near future.

Devaprasad’s mentor Mantosh Sinha asserted “He established himself as a batsman during his initial days but later he modified himself as an off-break spinner too under the guidance of Tripura coaches.”

It is indeed a matter of fact that Devaprasad will become the second-ever IPL player from Tripura after Ajoy Sarkar if gets selected.