KATHMANDU:  That evening in Oman was unusual for Nepali cricket. After securing a place in the ICC T-20 World Cup, members of the national team hugged each other. Some looked emotional. Some had tears in their eyes. But in that moment of celebration, one face looked calm.

This is the story of Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel. For him, that moment was not just a victory, but the end of a painful journey from a year ago. Earlier, questions had been raised about his ability and decision-making power.

He was under pressure to deliver such a major response at a young age. But, by demonstrating continuous effort and patience, he led Nepal to qualify for the World Cup for the second consecutive time under his captaincy. Rohit, who appeared happy on the field after a long time, was saying, “I can’t express this happiness in words.”

The ICC T-20 World Cup of 2024 was a historic moment for Nepali cricket. Nepal had returned to the T-20 World Cup after a decade-long gap since first playing the World Cup in Bangladesh in 2014. At that time, the Nepali team was led by none other than the 22-year-old Rohit himself.

Photo: CAN

After long preparation under his captaincy, the Nepali team had reached America and the Caribbean island of West Indies. At that time, Nepali supporters had high hopes for his leadership ability. However, Nepal’s performance was not as expected.

With the batting order remaining unstable, millions of supporters were disappointed. The team’s strategy also seemed unclear. Nepal, which had defeated the Netherlands by 6 wickets at Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtipur 95 days earlier, was defeated by the same Dutch team in the World Cup.

Furthermore, when the match against Sri Lanka was washed out due to rain, they suffered a narrow one-run defeat against South Africa. In the final match against Bangladesh, they could not even chase a weak target of 107 runs.

Following the poor result of the previous World Cup, Rohit limited his time to family and training. He would reach Kirtipur early in the morning and practice for hours in the nets.

The pain of repeatedly losing after coming close to victory is not normal. Rohit was not the only one who felt the pain of that defeat; former South African bowler Dale Steyn and other world-renowned players also understood the situation. Therefore, they consoled Nepal by applying balm to the wound of defeat. However, Rohit’s critics on social media repeatedly brought this up and tried to defame him.

It was not that an narrative that ‘Rohit has potential as a player, but is a failure in captaincy’ was not attempted to be established. He was accused of ‘delay in decisions, errors in field setup, and strategic weaknesses’. A ‘Rohit Out’ trend was even run on Facebook and X. Some even publicly criticized him for not resigning from the captaincy.

Sandeep Lamichhane and Rohit Paudel embracing. Photo: CAN

However, Rohit did not respond during that difficult time. He remained silent. Before going to play the World Cup qualifiers, he said on a podcast with former player Sharad Vesawkar, “After playing against India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup, we were confident we could defeat South Africa and Bangladesh. It didn’t feel like we were playing for the first time. But we couldn’t deliver the result, and that’s sad.”

His silence seems like a weakness to many. But only a few know that many things are hidden within his silence.

Following the poor result of the previous World Cup, Rohit limited his time to family and training. He would reach Kirtipur early in the morning and practice for hours in the nets. According to him, he would evaluate his own mistakes.

Rohit is the ‘favorite captain’ of the then-head coach Monty Desai. It was under Monty’s coaching that he was counted among the successful captains. He won 11 out of 12 matches to save Nepal’s One-Day International (ODI) status, which it had received in 2018. By defeating UAE in the final of the ACC Premier Cup, he fulfilled the dream of most players in the team to play against India and Pakistan. Under his captaincy, Nepal won the ACC Premier Cup title and, for the first time, took the series against the Test team West Indies 2-1.

Nepali supporters have once again started seeing the future of Nepali cricket under Rohit’s captaincy.

Former coach Jagat Tamata’s opinion on Rohit is, “The most important thing is that he has an inquisitive nature. He wants to learn a lot. Not just batting, but how to lead in various situations.”

Lately, a change is seen in Rohit’s style. On the field, he has started to appear more patient, cautious, and strategically skilled than before. Players have also started seeing him not just as a captain, but as a source of inspiration. His patience was evident in the match against Qatar. At a time when rumors of conflict within the team were escalating, he scored 58 runs in a must-win match. That was his half-century innings after one year. In this match, Sandeep took five wickets.

Due to Sandeep’s excellent bowling, Nepal clinched a thrilling five-run victory. Sandeep’s performance was too much for Rohit’s heart to contain. He not only entered the field and hugged Sandeep, but he even kissed him.

Rohit with members of the cricket team. Photo: CAN

He made his international cricket debut at the age of 16 against India in the ACC U-19 Asia Cup in Bangladesh in 2019. He has now turned 23. But experience has made him as mature as the former Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Criticism, disappointment, leadership, and revival—all these are chapters of his journey.

Nepali supporters have once again started seeing the future of Nepali cricket under Rohit’s captaincy. Now it remains to be seen what kind of magic his captaincy will cast in the World Cup to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026. This has become a matter of anticipation for all Nepali cricket lovers.