Once an Indian cricketer who represented RCB, he now is an Aussie prospect

Not all cricketers are lucky. Some get a chance to attain stardom while the others remain in the shadows. They remain in the backdrop and keep trying until they finally give up and venture into something else. Some players get into the limelight at a very young age with signs of what is about to come. They keep progressing but just when they are set for the big break they are pushed back to the starting point.

The story of Ryan Ninan is worth a read. 10 years ago, a young spinner at the age of 17 was bowling like a veteran at the National Cricket Academy. The way he was bowling made him a Ranji prospect who had the capability of achieving bigger things in the profession. But Ninan never became the player that he was supposed to be.

Lack of time on the field

The all-rounder got limited opportunities at the domestic level as he failed to represent Karnataka in First Class cricket and played just four matches for Goa. The promising youngster got just six List A games in three years. During which he picked up 13 wickets and scored 220 runs. Believe it or not, Ryan also played 2 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as an uncapped player.

His life has taken a dramatic turn as he is now playing first division cricket in Australia. He took a sports Management course at Melbourne’s Deakin University and enrolled himself in Kingston Hawthorn Cricket Club. In the 2014-15 season, he scored 524 runs at 65.50 and took 25 wickets in just 14 matches. These performances aroused interests in few of the BBL franchises.

“A couple of BBL teams have shown interest. That would be the immediate goal. Even First Class cricket is a possibility in the next one or two years. I know I’m an all-rounder and one of the few off-spinners with a doosra .” Ryan was quoted as saying.

He got his Australian Permanent Resident Visa in July 2017 that made him eligible to play cricket at the highest level. Currently aged 32, Ninan has left the past behind and never gave up hope of playing cricket. He was robbed of game time in India and was hurt being given a chance to just play a handful of games over 5-6 years. The talent was always there but the opportunity never knocked on his door.

“Going to Australia meant I did not have to listen to anyone’s thoughts or opinions from here. It helped me understand where I came from, why I started cricket, what worked for me as a youngster and what did not after that. These last four years have been one of the best phases of my life. I now value simple things like family and close friends more. I now have a core group which is going to stick to me, no matter when I live my dream,” Ryan was quoted as saying by Wisden India.