Vijay Hazare 2018-19: Meet the cricketer who made his debut at the age of 45

More often than not, cricketers decide to call it quits from the game in the late 30s. The body doesn’t respond to the rigours of the daily training and the demands of the modern day cricket. Even Sachin Tendulkar was not an exception as the legendary Indian batsman bid adieu at the age of 39. However, a cricketer from Manipur, Thoudam Akshaykumar Singh has achieved a rare feat of making his debut in the domestic arena at 45.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) allowed the north-eastern states to stake their claim for the first time and Akshaykumar Singh made his first appearance for his state Manipur. Though his four outings for the team in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy haven’t grabbed the headlines, to play this game at such age is by no means a joke.

Singh’s fitness regime

Akshaykumar Singh works hard to keep himself fit even at the age of 45. He scales the foothills of Imphal as a part of his training regime and has also cleared a beep test – a variant of yo-yo fitness test. “I start with jogging in the morning, then I play table tennis and cricket in the evening. I have been a state-level table tennis player also. I play that for my health,” he said while speaking to sportstar.

Singh, who was working for the State Government as an accountant all these years, worked with the former Indian cricketer Shiv Sundar Das and wants to stay fit as long as he can. “I don’t know whether I will make it to every game but I like what I have been seeing. It is exciting. I am working hard on my fitness to remain in contention. Playing for Manipur, after so many years, is an emotional moment,” he added.

The right-handed batsman who is also a spin bowler made an impact in one of the games for Manipur by returning with the figures of 2-10 where the opponent was bowled out for 84 runs.

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