We are three brothers and I am in the middle. Being older to my bhai, I bullied him incessantly. It was all play and no work for me. I played the entire day and returned home only when my stomach growled with hunger. We mostly played tennis-ball cricket. Because of my reputation as an all-rounder in the neighbourhood, I always got a chance to play in the senior team. Our matches used to be so intense that the area always remained crowded.

On rainy days and sometimes at noon I would play under-arm cricket in the small veranda in our rented house with my brother and ensured that I never got out as I set the rules according to my convenience! Apart from cricket we also played football and many other games. During summer, we stole guavas and mangoes from the neighbourhood trees.

I have fond memories of my ancestral home at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh which we visited during vacations. Life was so different there. Nature seemed so beautiful, and the whole village was like one big happy family. We used to play hide and seek in the sugarcane fields and often, instead of hiding or seeking we would start cutting the sweet sticks and chew sugarcane for hours on end! In the evenings we waited patiently before the big-moustached jaggery makers until they gave us some hot jaggery, which we drank to our hearts’ content.

I went to St James, Howrah, and there my games teacher, Elvis Jackson discovered my potential and suggested that I join a good cricket coaching centre. I joined the Dukhiram Cricket Coaching Centre near the Eden Gardens and there, my coach, Manabendra Ghosh deeply inspired me to fulfil my much cherished dreams. My most memorable moments are when I captained the school team and received the ‘‘Most valuable player’’ award from Murali Karthik and Saba Karim and when I scored a 125 and took 2 wickets in spite of being the youngest player at the local club. I missed the fun days of my childhood, when I started playing cricket for my school and club as my schedule became very busy. My message to all of you is have a dream and enjoy your fun days.