From almost quitting cricket to playing for Jammu and Kashmir, the first cricketer from Ladakh Skalzang Dorjey Kalyan in an exclusive chat with OneCricket talks about his journey and what brought him back to the game.
Tell us about your journey
I was born in Ladakh but brought up in Bengaluru. Actually, I belong to a village called Tukla. We are 8 siblings. My mother passed away when I was in class 10.
My journey in Karnataka began when one of my uncles who was monk in Maha Bodhi Society in Bengaluru decided to take me with him. I was shifted to Bengaluru in class 4 in the year 1999.
Before moving to Bengaluru, I only used to manage to go to school for 2 or 3 days because of the condition in my village. Initially, I stayed in B’lore for 3-4 years where the monks used to be our teachers.
In 2001, Maha Bodhi’s second branch in Mysore was opened and the administration decided that we would be shifted there. We used to get free education there.
Introduction to the game
In 2003-04, we used to play in our hostel and later took part in a tennis ball tournament. Manzoor Ahmed who was a university coach selected 3-4 students gave us free coaching and also free match practice.
In 2005, I was selected for U17 Mysore zone for KSCA zonal tournament. Then I was selected for U19 for Mysore Zone. There was a player called Dhananjaya was selected for Karnataka Ranji team. He used to take care of us. I used to play with him.
Education and further recognition
In 2007 I completed my 12th and then did my graduation between 2007-10. I started playing for YCC during this time and met Vinod sir there. He used to make me play every match in Bengaluru tournament. We used to play in the 4th division. I emerged as the highest wicket-taker in this tournament and was selected for Mysore University. After completing my graduation, I took admission in B.Ped in Mysore and also used to help kids there with their game. I then made a shift from YCC to Vijay Cricket Club which was 2nd division club but didn’t really get much game time because there were more senior players.
Forced break from cricket
Then came the cricket break in 2011. As I had completed my B.Ped, Monk in-charge asked me to be physical education teacher in the school.
I worked there for 1 year in Maha Bodhi in Mysore in 2012. I wanted to do M.Ped but didn’t get a chance to execute my plan and went back to Ladakh. There I started as a tour guide.
While I was working as a tour guide, one of my friends who was there with me in Bengaluru asked me to join Stok Kangri peak camp as manager. I became a manager there and worked for 1.5 months initially.
I have some another friend in Bengaluru who called me up and suggested me to try working in Decathlon. I became a sales manager there. I was in Keshwa department. I worked there for 6 months but was not enjoying it because I didn’t get to play. It was as if I wasn’t doing anything for me. So, I left the company in 2013. Then I joined Stok Kangri peak camp again and worked for 5 years till 2018 at the base camp.
Maha Bodhi has a branch in Arunachal Pradesh and the uncle who took me to Bengaluru asked me to go there. I used to teach in Arunachal Pradesh (Maha Bodhi) and did this for 2 years (8-9 months).
Route back to cricket
I went back to Ladakh. One of my friends, Tashinordu Jayo introduced me to one of the teams for the tournaments. There is only one ground in Leh where all the sports were played and it was shut.
Tiptop club for which I started playing developed a ground. The spin doesn’t work in Leh. My coach said spin won’t work so I didn’t get to bowl much. I only used to bat and field. I played the first match because my fielding was good. I came at number 9 and scored four boundaries in four balls. The team management realised that I can bat. So they promoted me up the order. I batted at 7 in second match and scored a fifty and we won. From then on, I started to bat up the order.
Then we had a match with a weaker team so the team decided to try the spin bowling too. I scalped a six-wicket haul. This was followed by a match against a Kashmir team in Q/F. They were a pretty strong unit and defeated us but I got 6 wickets and was later adjudged the emerging player in NDS T20 tournament.
Every year I used to play and I got noticed. But I still wasn’t serious.
Life away from cricket
I went to HMI (Himalaya Mountaineering Institute) in 2017 for Basic Mount course and completed the course receiving a gold medal in Darjeeling. I then joined the Advance course in 2018 and was the best student in the technical course. Because I was born in Ladakh so that helped me a lot.
Becoming the first Ladakhi to play for J&K
In 2018-19 JKCA held a tournament for the first time in the history of Ladakh. This was also a kind of talent hunt. I played the tournament and won the man of the series. There were two coaches Hakim and Ejaz who had come and they selected some players for further training. I was one of them. The two coaches then scouted 3-4 players and called them to Srinagar.
The Ranji team had already been selected but we still got the chance to be with the players in the nets. Then I started to play all the tournaments and got rhythm back.
I was one of the players selected from Ladakh. I was selected for KC junior. I played first match for them and picked up five wickets. I got my enthusiasm back. Then I started practicing regularly in Leh.
Due to the pandemic, we had no work so we just used to practice by ourselves. In Oct-Nov Ladakh Premier League was held and there were only local players and teams in this tournament. I won the man of the series in this as well. Leh District Association called me up and they told me that I was one of the players to be sent to JKCA.
I came to Jammu and then gave trials, cleared the yo-yo test and certainly lived the dream of getting selected for the JKCA team. I had been picked up for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
What alterations do you want in Ladakh cricket?
We have good and talented players and can have different team for the domestic tournaments. We wish this can happen in future. If we get the facilities and infrastructure the players will work hard and you would easily hear players coming from Ladakh.
Tell us how life changed after getting JKCA call-up
I got a lot of recognition from everywhere. It is like getting selected for India for the people in Leh and Ladakh. I have been getting a lot of support from all around.
I also give a lot of credit to former interim BCCI president Vinod Rai. He said a Ladakhi player can be a part of JKCA team. JKCA started scouting players in Leh. The introduction of the new format helped Ladakh cricket to get some promotion. Captain Parvez Rasool has also encouraged the cricketers and has been inspiring them.
If given a chance, which IPL team would you like to represent?
It would be RCB because I have stayed in Karnataka so I know how things go there. I understand the conditions and everything there.
Who is your role model?
I really look up to Sunil Joshi, Pragyan Ojha, Daniel Vettori and Yuvraj Singh.
What are your future plans?
I just want to help people in Leh and Ladakh and promote the game. I really want to promote cricket in Leh and Ladakh as there are players who are very talented and enthusiastic about the game
Tell us about your relations with J&K cricketers
We have a mutual respect between us. There is no ego and we bond really well.
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