𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧

Suprit Pradhan, the current captain of the Bhutan National Cricket team, made his international cricket debut in 2011. As a child, he had a deep passion for cricket. However, because of the limited cricket facilities at his school, he played with his friends as if it were any other casual game or sport. He had no formal coaching in the sport, and he never even dared to dream of representing the Bhutan National Cricket team. Today, he not only plays for the team but also holds the prestigious position of being its captain.

Q. Could you provide an introduction about yourself?
A. I go by the name Suprit Pradhan, and I’ve been working at Druk Holdings and Investments (DHI) for the past three years. My journey in cricket commenced in 2011 when I participated in my initial tournament. In the absence of our former captain, Jigme Singye, I had the privilege of leading the Bhutan National Cricket team during the Asian Games qualification for International Cricket Council (ICC) 2021.

Q. What are you presently engaged in?
A. I am presently employed as a project manager at DHI, which I joined in 2020. Currently, I am dedicated to the National Digital Identity (NDI) project, which has been entrusted to us as a flagship project. Our primary goal is to establish a platform for Bhutanese citizens, enabling them to harness digital technology for online identification and interaction.

Q. Given that you embarked on your cricket journey in 2011, what served as your inspiration or motivation for selecting this path or field?
A. While my official cricket journey began in 2011 when I started playing for Bhutan, the roots of my interest in the sport go further back. In 1999, I attended a military school in India known as “Sainak school.” In this school, cricket facilities were lacking, and they mainly encouraged us to participate in football, basketball, volleyball, and hockey. With no cricket as an option, I took up hockey, and I found that the stick and ball in hockey resonated with my cricketing interests. This led to my initial interest in cricket. After completing my schooling in India, I returned to Bhutan for college and there I played friendly matches with my friends. It was during that time that I learned about a national selection camp for cricket at Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School (YHSS), which I decided to participate in. It seemed that I was chosen somewhat randomly due to my raw talent. Consequently, in 2011, I had the opportunity to compete in my first cricket tournament in Nepal, marking the beginning of an intriguing journey in the sport.

Q. Can you describe your leadership philosophy as a captain of the team?
A. Being the captain of a national team is a challenging role, and for a tournament, we faced the added challenge of having many young players on the team. With our main captain absent and some experienced players also missing, there were only a few of us who could serve as examples for the newcomers, six of whom were making their debut. My approach to motivating the team was to emphasize simplicity and self-belief. I stressed that the ultimate outcome of the matches didn’t hold the most significance. What truly mattered was the effort and dedication each player put into their performance. I encouraged them to give their all on the field, reminding them that the crowd would cheer for their efforts, and the coach’s appreciation would be the real measure of their success.

Q. In what manner do you inspire and motivate your teammates prior to a tournament?
A. I believe that our motivation is inherently high when we put on the national team uniform. Additionally, we foster a strong sense of team unity and support among ourselves, which serves as a continuous source of motivation. In a recent development, we’ve introduced a tradition of singing the national anthem before each match to boost our spirits. However, what particularly fuels our motivation is the act of wearing our jerseys adorned with the Bhutan logo and flag. Furthermore, the positive and motivational comments we receive on social media contribute significantly to keeping our spirits high.

Message:

My advice to young children and youth is to emphasize the importance of focusing on the developmental process from the early stages rather than solely fixating on the end results. It’s crucial to concentrate on the process itself. Fortunately, our country provides numerous infrastructure and facilities for the development of cricket. You can register for these programs, and it’s worth noting that coaching sessions are now available in all 20 dzongkhags through community initiatives, offering weekly coaching opportunities. Additionally, private cricket academies have emerged that you can enroll in.

However, my primary advice is that merely attending coaching sessions or joining an academy won’t be sufficient. It’s beneficial if, from an early stage, you immerse yourself in the learning process and commit to it for the long term. It’s not a matter of dedicating just a month or two; it may take a year or even more. But always remember the importance of building a solid foundation and maintaining a positive attitude in your endeavors. Hard work is essential, and with dedicated effort, you may find yourself fortunate. I’m confident that if young individuals begin to take cricket seriously in the next 5 to 10 years, we will witness the emergence of some remarkable cricket stars.