Bowling from wheelchair mom fuels cricketer’s success

LUCKNOW: At a time when teenage prodigies are grabbing headlines with their cricketing skills, a quieter story is taking shape in the narrow lanes of Saharanpur, far from the glare of stadium lights.

The journey of Arnav, who played a key role in helping in the cricket world is not only built on privilege or resilience, but also on an extraordinary partnership with his disabled mother, who uses a wheelchair. The odds were stacked against him from the very beginning with his father recovering from paralysis.

What could have been the end of a dream became the foundation for a remarkable journey. Inside their modest home in Punjabi Bagh, Arnav trains in a narrow corridor turned into a makeshift net.

At the other end, seated in a wheelchair, his mother Kusum Lata, his first coach, acts as his bowling partner, providing an unwavering support system.

She bowls to him every day, not out of convenience, but out of commitment.

“I had a passion for cricket since childhood, but my family’s financial condition was unfavourable. But my obsession with cricket never let me stop,” Arnav told TOI. Arnav’s father, once running a small dairy business, had to shut operations after his illness. His elder brother gave up his own cricketing aspirations to take up a job and support the household — and now funds Arnav’s cricketing expenses.

With limited resources and no access to structured training initially, Kusum also stepped in.

“When my child tells me to bowl in a certain way, I watch matches to improve myself. I try to learn variations and maintain a good length so that his practice improves,” she said.She studies bowlers on television and mobile screens, absorbs techniques, and applies them in their home net sessions.

“When I saw his dedication, I thought I should also do something so that he can move forward,” Kusum said.

Arnav draws inspiration from icons like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, whose posters adorn his walls.

“I want to play like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I like their shots very much,” he said, his eyes set on representing India one day.

At Nalanda Cricket Academy, coaches Vikrant and Vivek Sharma recognized his potential early. Backed by their guidance and support from Saharanpur Cricket Association chairman Akram Saifi, Arnav steadily climbed through the ranks.

His breakthrough moment came in Jan, when he played a key role in helping Uttar Pradesh win the Under-14 Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy.

He scored 166 runs in 5 matches with the highest score of 48.