If you ask someone about cricket in Nepal, you will be amazed with the answer. 90% of the citizens will only talk about Paras Khadka. Even a football fan or a citizen with zero knowledge of cricket will recognize Khadka. We all are well known about the popularity, biography of Paras Khadka but today you will be reading the making of Champion. Let’s move to the childhood story of khadka and recall the memory about how it all started for your Champion : Paras Khadka.
The Untold story about Paras Khadka
It all began during the most popular festival of Nepal(Dashain and Tihar, you know it well). Bhai Tika, most popular festival among the Nepalese was the day when Nepal Cricket got their hero. Kartik 7, 2044 BS, a leader stepped his foot on Nepal’s land and that number(77) can be seen behind his jersey everytime.
As far as I remember, not a single weekend or a public holiday passed without cricket for us. There was always a tournament, an opponent and a winning cup either for school tournaments or any local tournaments from your leader.
I was seven back then when we started watching live cricket ( paras was two years older than me). We used to spend our Saturday afternoon with our dad watching Cricket on Shankhamul Ground, located near the bridge to Banglamukhi mandir. Paras used to get chance for some matches but I seriously went for those matches for canned sodas(was very popular back then). We started playing then on terrace and front yard with plastic-ball. He was a Champion everytime ( I used to won by cheating).
Going back to the memory of our school days, Paras got a same kind of friend circle (enthused to cricket). He had a complete Cricket team around us. The boys used to play a “Ball and Khaja Baazi” which means losing teams hand over a set of Khaja and playing ball to winning team. Even the team used to play a match during holidays with teachers team of South Point Boarding School were Paras got his primary education upto 10.
Looking back to those days, I wondered how much Cricket he had played. In a recent interview he said ,”I was born to play cricket -that much I know” which was true. He was in a local team too who used to play different local level tournaments.
The day-long match was his favourite moment where Paras literally grew up with a leadership skills. He used to spent all day with team, sharing jokes, talking about games they lost.
He was in sixth grade when he played his first official tournament for his school. The tournament was one of the biggest sporting event of Kathmandu back then, Dipendra Running Shield. His team won the whole tournament and most importantly Paras was awarded with Man of the series of the tournament.

This success wasn’t easy for him. He has put his dues, countless time playing cricket, basketball courts, hard work, his passion and most importantly his personality which makes him the most loved sportsman in Nepal now. Playing with a wood log and leading a National team to World Cup, I had seen a very passionate and calm Paras Khadka inside him.
Most importantly there was always a support from his family to achieve his dreams. How often we see Nepali family supporting their children for games and sports during childhood? Not so often right? But something big was their in paras’s life. Parents never questioned his decision. Besides encouraged him to follow his passion towards cricket.
For ever crazy Nepal Cricket fans, he is a leader. Man crush for every Cricket loving girls and a role model to most of the young guns who eventually steeping towards Nepal Cricket. Besides all these, he was a kid who woke up before dawn and reach the playground, a cricket fan who had never dreamt of playing and leading the National team. He had cheered for Nepal in many matches sitting on stands(where we fans gather together,right?) And now he is known as God of Nepal Cricket : Paras Khadka.
( Source : By Pankaj Khadka on wicketnepal)