A very few people are lucky enough to turn their passion into profession. Some others switch their profession which is different from their passion out of compulsion. However, in a later stage of their career, they again return to follow their passion.
Same is the case for star batsman Virat Kohli’s 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup teammate Ajitesh Argal. The Bhopal-born, Vadodara-groomed cricketer was the man of the match in the memorable final of the mega event in Malaysia.
Emerging cricketer Argal was a right-handed medium pacer and lower order batsman mainly focusing on consistency. He later joined the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008 season. However, destiny had other plans for him. He became an Income Tax department inspector instead of pursuing cricket as his career.
But Argal’s passion for cricket is still alive and it made him return to the field of cricket again but with a different role. The First Class cricketer has cleared the required umpiring examinations recently and he will be soon seen as a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) umpire.
Another member of Kohli’s U-19 WC team, Tanmay Srivastava has also cleared the umpiring examinations. Both Argal and Srivastava are set to undergo the BCCI orientation programme and seminar in this month.
Notably, as a bowler and a lower-order batter, Argal had a relatively short career with Baroda on domestic level. He has played 10 First Class matches, six T20s and three List A matches taking a total of 29 wickets.