Rohit Paudel

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rohit Paudel

• Rohit Paudel is a Nepali cricketer who has made many records while playing for the Nepal national cricket team. He captained the team in several tournaments and played a crucial role in Nepal’s qualification for the prestigious Asia Cup tournament in 2023.

• From the young age of five, he developed a keen interest in cricket and would regularly engage in friendly matches of tennis ball cricket with his siblings and companions.
  

  

  

• Inspired by Nepal’s performance in the T20 World Cup in 2014, he made a firm decision to pursue a career as a professional cricketer. He relocated to Kathmandu and enrolled at Baluwatar Cricket Academy, where he received fundamental cricket training under the guidance of Coach Sunil Lama.

  

• He later learnt the batting basics under the guidance of batting consultant Monty Desai. Prior to his selection to the Nepal Under-19 cricket team, he actively participated in local and club tournaments.

  

• On 8 February 2018, he made his debut in List-A cricket, representing Nepal in a match against Namibia in Windhoek, Namibia. On 29 July 2018, he also made his debut in T20 cricket, playing against Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord’s, London. In June 2018, he contributed to the success of the APF team, helping them secure victory in the Prime Minister 2075 (PM2075) tournament.

  

• He gained recognition in 2016 when he hit 24 runs off 5 balls bowled by Indian pacer Kamlesh Nagarkoti in an Under-19 ODI match. He progressed in his career by representing the Nepal Under-19 team in the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup and the 2020 Asian Qualification Tournament for the Under-19 World Cup.

  

• Following his debut in ODIs, he participated in the 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier tournament. In a match against the United Arab Emirates on 26 January 2019, he achieved his first half-century, scoring 55 runs off 58 deliveries. In a match against Papua New Guinea on 25 March 2023, he scored his first century, amassing an impressive 126 runs off 107 balls.

  

• He participated in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in November 2019. He also represented Nepal in the South Asian Games, where he helped the Nepal cricket team in securing the Bronze medal. Recognizing his talent and potential, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) awarded him a central contract in September 2020.

• In a match against Malaysia on 2 April 2022, he made his first T20I fifty by scoring 51 runs off just 34 balls. In June 2019, he was chosen to represent Nepal in the Regional Finals of the 2018-19 ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier.

  

• On 11 November 2022, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) appointed him as the captain of the Nepal cricket team in all formats. Under his captaincy, the team achieved a significant milestone by winning the 2023 ACC Men’s Premier Cup in May 2023 which secured Nepal’s qualification for the 2023 Asia Cup for the first time. He had also led the Nepal Under-19 team.

• He has had a diverse experience in domestic T20 leagues in Nepal. He represented the Kathmandu franchise in the inaugural season of the Dhangadhi Premier League. He later represented the Biratnagar Super Kings (BSK) in the Nepal T20 League. He also had the opportunity to play for the Bhairahawa Gladiators in the Everest Premier League. In November 2018, Paudel was a part of the Pokhra Paltan team in the Pokhra Paltan League (PPL) and emerged as the tournament’s champion.

  

• As of June 2023, Rohit Paudel holds the distinction of being the highest run-scorer for Nepal in One Day Internationals (ODIs).

• In an interview, he expressed his belief that the Nepal cricket team would benefit from playing more four-day matches and emphasized the importance of developing skill sets and improving the team’s temperament through longer formats of the game.

  

• He secured a one-year endorsement deal with Gen Next Consulting Group on 29 May 2023, becoming their brand ambassador from 1 June 2023. ^[4]Facebook – Rohit ^[5]The Kathmandu Post