Karan, who moved to Chandigarh from Baglung with his family when he was one year old, began his cricketing journey from there. His childhood friends who play cricket are very excited to be able to watch Karan play in Mumbai now.
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Not only international, but even if it is a national competition, you should not stop playing. As long as you have the passion in your heart, you will play, there is no such thing as playing this much. Karan KC is playing in the World Cup for the second time.
But he feels that playing the World Cup in India is a big deal not only for Nepal but also for every country in the world. He believes that playing in a mega event in a powerful country in world cricket will have a lasting impact.
This is also a big opportunity for Nepali cricket fans. First, Nepal will be playing the World Cup in Mumbai, a short distance away, and secondly, the cricket craze in India will be a unique experience for Nepali fans. Therefore, Karan says that Nepal has nothing to lose by playing in India, it is only an opportunity to gain.
Two years ago, when playing in America, a large number of spectators had reached the stadium, it was like their own home stadium. Karan feels that this number will double in India. For Nepalis, it will be like a festival. For Karan, playing in India will be even more special.
He grew up playing cricket with his brothers in Chandigarh, India. Although not professionally, he had started playing cricket there at a young age. That is where his cricket journey began. All his childhood friends who played cricket are in India. Now they are not in a frenzy of joy, they are going to come to Mumbai to watch Karan's game. Karan had reached Chandigarh with his family from Baglung when he was one year old. He lived there for 22 years.
But he says that he got stuck in the same street cricket in cricket. It is not that he did not play cricket since school. But he could not break his love for cricket. Even though he did not have a deuce ball, he used to play tennis ball with his friends. After returning home in 2014, it did not take him even a year to reach the Nepali national team. But when he was coming to Nepal, he did not know that cricket was played in Nepal. This was the same year, where Nepal made its first appearance in world cricket.
Moreover, in the 2014 World Cup held in Bangladesh, Nepal created a stir by defeating Hong Kong and Afghanistan. Karan had enjoyed it by watching it on television. It was the first time he had watched Nepali cricket on television when he had just returned from India, before that he did not know anything about Nepali cricket.
He came to know that Nepal was also playing international cricket by watching it on the same television. He also wanted to play if he got the opportunity, but he could not find any way to get that opportunity. He was sure that if he played from Nepal, cricket would come back to him.
His sister studied in a college in Baglung. Karan had gone to visit the college with her. Seeing her playing cricket in the college, Karan also wanted to play. He had conveyed the message through his sister that he also wanted to play in that team. Karan's Nepali was not that good, that's why Karan himself did not dare to ask, 'I also play cricket'.
Then the news of finding a tall 'fast bowler' had spread in the Gandaki region. After coming in contact with Pokhareli cricketer Dipesh Khatri, he started playing for the Machhapuchhre Cricket Club. Kaski district cricket selection was about to take place. Dipesh took him to the district selection. Bowling and batting were made on a cement wicket net. At that time, no one there bowled as fast as Karan. The coach was immediately impressed. Karan benefited from not fielding.
He joined the Gandaki region (now a province) team via Kaski. Coincidentally, the national tournament was being held in Pokhara. But there was a fight among players within Nepali cricket. The national players had boycotted the tournament in a fight with the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN). Karan's talent was revealed in that fight. He took 7-8 wickets in 4-5 games. More than the wickets, Karan's bowling rhythm impressed many.
Soon after, the closed training of the Nepali team for the World Cricket League Division 3 began in Kathmandu. Coaches Jagat Tamata and Manoj Katuwal had seen Karan's bowling in Pokhara, which is why he was called as a net bowler in the closed training.
The coach of the Nepali team was Pubudu Dassanayake. Karan had never bowled with spikes in his life. He said that he did not have spikes and would bowl in normal sports shoes. Pubudu suggested that it would be easier to bowl with spikes. The next day, Pubudu bought Karan spikes. ‘Now, make it a habit to play with these, and your bowling will also be better,’ Pubudu said. Karan recalled, ‘Initially, it was very difficult to play with spikes. My feet would hurt because I wasn’t used to wearing new spikes. As I got used to them, I started finding my bowling rhythm.’
Panchakanya Tej, led by Sharad Veshavkar, took Karan in the 50-over DPL held in Dhangadhi. After playing in this tournament, he became a regular in the closed training of the Nepali team. At the same time, he was also waiting for a visa to go abroad for employment.
In 2015, he was selected for the Nepali team for the first time in the World Cricket League 2 selection held in Namibia. He took 5 wickets in his first match against Canada. Canada has always been a favorite opponent for him. He played a memorable innings of Nepali cricket against Canada in Namibia in 2018. Nepali cricket is in this position now because of that innings.
It has been 11 years since Karan wore the jersey of the Nepali national cricket team. During this time, he has gone from ‘Nepal Express’ to ‘Valentine Boy’. Although bowling is his weapon, he has played solid innings with batting many times. Karan has scored 629 runs in 65 One Day Internationals at a strike rate of 93.88.
Karan’s strike rate is the highest among Nepali players who have scored more than 100 runs. In Twenty20 Internationals, Karan has also scored 458 runs at a strike rate of 151.45. Here too, he has become the player from Nepal to score runs at the highest strike rate. Karan has taken 91 wickets in One Day Internationals. He is second in the list of highest wicket-takers from Nepal. Similarly, Karan is one of the two players from Nepal to take 100 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals. He has taken 106 wickets.
Karan was very enthusiastic when he played in the World Cup two years ago in America and the West Indies, but it was not that good in terms of individual or team performance. ‘It was the first World Cup for many players more than the condition and wicket. In terms of condition, there is a lot of difference between playing in Nepal and abroad, because it was in America, the wicket was also new. That is why there was pressure on all of us,’ he recalls the last World Cup.
He is thrilled when he remembers that he has played for Nepal for more than 10 years now. Karan is now 34 years old. What will his next journey be like? ‘You have to play until you are satisfied. It all depends on how high you can take yourself. You have to play in a rhythm. It is not just about playing, you have to keep performing,’ says Karan, ‘That is why you have to keep playing as long as you can perform. Not only international, but even if it is a national competition, I will not stop playing. As long as I have the passion in my heart, I will play, there is no such thing as playing this much.' Karan and the Nepali team have returned to Mumbai after playing two practice matches from Chennai. Looking back, he remembers the street cricket that started in Chandigarh.
