Growing up, Raj Limbani had two options, either focus on studies like his other siblings or help his father in farming. But unlike his brother and sisters, Raj moved to Baroda, 550km away from Dayapar, a village in Rann of Kutch, to chase his dream of playing cricket.
From our village, Pakistan border is only 27 km away. So generally, the kids from our village go to Ahmedabad, Surat or Baroda for studies. But in Raj’s case, it was different. In 2017, he moved to Baroda just to play cricket,’ father Vasant Patel tells the Indian Express.
‘I am a farmer, so I told him to go and chase his dream. But if it won’t happen, our arandi’s farm (castor) is waiting for you. But right from a very young age, he had this passion towards the game, that sometimes even we failed to understand. But seeing him now playing for India puts a smile on my face,’ he says.
The right-arm swing bowler Raj has picked up only five wickets in four matches, but he can take wickets with the new ball, which has given India an early burst that has eased the pressure on Indian spinners and helped them win all their matches in thetournament so far.
With no infrastructure and not a single turf wicket, Raj started bowling with a tennis ball. Once he made up his mind to be a professional cricketer, the tennis ball was replaced by heavy cork balls. Vasant also recalls how his son has fought through the harsh climate of Kutch.