Stars’ inspiration
It can be one particular incident or a specific person that inspires someone to make up his mind towards a specific target and follow that direction. Much like every other aspect in life, the stars of today have also gone through such situations when they decided to chase their dreams seriously. The Daily Star’s Mazhar Uddin tried to find out from three national team cricketers on how they first took up cricket, who were their inspiration and what made them determined to become a cricketer in future.
Mohammad Mithun
I used to play all sorts of sports in my early days -- football, cricket, badminton – something that every teenager experiences. My elder brother Ikhtiar Hossain Milon was a star tape-ball cricket player in our area and I used to be a huge fan of him. One day my brother told me that there was no point in playing all sports; rather I should focus on one. So, I chose cricket over football and then he told me about BKSP, where my main job would be just playing and at the same time, I could continue with my studies. I worked hard to get admitted at the BKSP and once I got there and became a part of the disciplined environment, I made up my mind to take the game seriously. My real inspiration was not a national team player when I decided to become a cricketer; instead it was my elder brother.
Soumya Sarkar
It was back in 2004 when I first went to a ground to play a match with a cricket ball. It was a school cricket game. I used to watch cricket on TV but honestly, I never thought of becoming a cricketer till then. My elder brother Pushpen Sarkar and my father actually insisted me to play cricket and you can say they both inspired me to become a cricketer. I got admitted to BKSP but I was yet to get that feeling towards cricket. Back in 2007 there was a tour of India for the Bangladesh under-17 side and I couldn't make it to that tour due to some issues with my passport. That incident really disappointed me, but at the same time made me determined to focus only on cricket.
Liton Das
I was very excited the first time went to a practise session in Dinajpur back in 2006. I used to practise under my coach Abu Salam Tipu, who used to support and inspire me a lot. In the very next year, I got a chance in the Bangladesh under-13 team and in 2008 I got admitted to BKSP. So, you can say it was Tipu sir who inspired me to become a cricketer. My brother, too, encouraged me a lot. After I got admitted at the BKSP, I made up my mind that I would utilise the next six years there to play for my country.