Jammu, Dec 30 : The newly created Union Territory of Ladakh has got its first professional cricketer Skalzang Dorjay Kalyan who will represent Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Born in the remotest area of Tukla, Skalzang Dorjay Kalyan has attained early cricket training in Mysore. He has represented Ladakh at different levels besides playing for different teams in Ladakh.
Kalyan was selected after a trial held in Jammu.
Talking to a selected media, Skalzang Dorjay Kalyan, said that it’s challenging for a player from Ladakh to make it to such level keeping in view the limited infrastructure available in the region for aspiring cricketers.
“It was quite challenging to reach such a level. I belong to one of the remotest villages, and being a spinner makes it tougher since there is no proper infrastructure available in Ladakh,” he said.
He said that the JKCA in the past two years showed keen interest to develop Ladakh cricket, as a result, he is making my debut in the mini Indian Premier League (IPL), wherein star cricketers of India will be playing.
“It is encouraging that JKCA is showing interest in Ladakh cricket. Events like Khelo India events were also held lately, which is a positive sign,” Kalyan said. “Though like in Mysore, cricket players in Ladakh are not provided any match fee.”
To a query about the number of players who had come from Kargil and Leh, Kalyan said 12 players participated in the trials of which he was the only player that got selected for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Notably, Skalzang Dorjay Kalyan will be the first cricketer from the Ladakh region to represent Jammu and Kashmir (JKCA) in the scheduled Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Kalyan will be part of 20 men squad for the JKCA team—(KNO)
