Ranji Trophy 2021-22: Meet Prasanth Rana, a plumber who is now a Ranji Trophy player

The story of Prashant Rana from Odisha is extremely inspirational and he proved that anything is possible with proper determination. Prashant Rana is all set to play in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 for the Odisha Ranji Trophy team. Rana will represent Odhisha in Ranji Trophy 2021-22 on February 17 against Saurashtra in the Elite Group D match.

Read also: NZW vs INDW: Spinners tried hard, but Amelia Kerr's ton makes it 2-0 for the home team

Struggles of Prasanth Rana:

The 24-year-old rose to such a stage after passing hundreds of obstacles in his way. With extreme hardship and efforts, he achieved his position in the Odhisha Ranji Trophy team after working as a plumber for 9 years. Coming from the village of Nayagarh district, he worked as a plumber in the daytime so that he could fulfill his dream of becoming a cricketer.

He comes from a poor farmer family. His father, Sanatan Rana worked as a farmer and also as a priest in the village's Shiva temple. On the other hand, his brother worked as a vegetable seller. He completed his matriculation from a school in his native village and then he moved on to pursue graduation.

Rana is extremely passionate about cricket since his early childhood and he also left his college in between in 2011 to pursue the sport. He convinced his family members to allow him to learn and play cricket at Silver City Cuttack. Silver City Cuttack is the headquarters of the Odisha Cricket Association.

Read also: IPL 2022: Probable captains of each team

He left his home to move to Cuttack and start his dream career in sports. In the first instance, his family members helped him and sent him Rs 2,000. But something bad was waiting for him in the future and within 4 months his father got diagnosed with tuberculosis. The monetary help from his family stopped as the family did not have enough money after his father's treatment. Rana's family called him to return home back and try various opportunities and apply for jobs in Army or BSF. But Rana was determined towards cricket and had other plans in his mind. He stayed in Bhubaneswar and started to look for jobs their itself so that he can continue playing the sport.

I would also like to thank OCA Secretary and other members for standing behind me: Rana

Prashant Rana made it to the list of 20 expected players for the senior Odisha Ranji team as a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He shared while talking to India Today, "I was so passionate about cricket that after appearing in the Class X Board examination in the morning, I would play matches in the afternoon in my village. When my family was unable to send me the money, I thought I won't make monetary issues an obstacle in pursuing my career, so I thought of taking any job for survival so that I can continue with my passion."

He further added, "I would like to thank my coach Wasim Jaffer Sir for helping me realize my potential and giving me a chance; I would also like to thank OCA (Odisha Cricket Association) Secretary and other members for standing behind me."