From the Margins: The New Face of Indian Cricket

Over the past 20 years, a quiet cricket revolution has been buz­zing in the country바카라�s margins.

Players from small towns and rural India are breaking into a space once dominated by metro-based talent. The Indian Premier League played a key role, shifting focus from location to skill. Better scouting, grassroots funding and changing attitudes have made cricket a real option beyond the cities.

T. Natarajan바카라�s journey sums it up. He grew up in poverty in Chinnappampatti, played tennis-ball cricket till 19 and dreamed only of a proper pair of spikes. From the Tamil Nadu Premier League to the 바카라�holy grail바카라� of brisk cricket, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and finally the Indian team, he made his mark in the 2021 Brisbane Test after starting out as a net bowler.

Mohammed Siraj바카라�s journey from Mehdipatnam to the Indian team began with tennis-ball cricket at Charminar Cricket Club. His father drove an autorickshaw and money was tight. There was little formal coaching. Siraj travelled close to thirty kilometres daily to train at better grounds in Hyderabad. A break with former Test cricketer and coach Bharat Arun led to a spot in the Hyderabad senior team, from where he worked his way into India바카라�s pace attack, leading it in tandem with Jaspreet Bumrah.

The rise of players like T Natarajan, Mohammed Siraj and Yashasvi Jaiswal reflects a clear shift in Indian cricket바카라�s demography. It is no longer about privilege. It is about who바카라�s ready. Indian cricket바카라�s rawest talent isn바카라�t coming from academies in metros. It바카라�s coming from the margins. And with popular leagues, increased funding and active scouting, that talent is finally finding its way to the crease.

Uma Chetry: Dream Catcher

Uma Chetry grew up in Kandulimari, a village in Assam where football, not cricket, dominated popular passion.

Her brothers played cricket. So did she. That was only the beginning.

She didn바카라�t set out to be a wicketkeeper either. At a district trial, the position was vacant. Uma바카라�s coach told her to don keeping gloves. She did. The gloves stayed there, clinging to the lines of fortune on her sweaty palms.

Uma was born into a farming household. Her father worked the fields. Her mother managed the home. She moved to Bokakhat, around 150 km from her village, in 2011 for schooling... and cricket soon turned into more than just a pastime.

At some point, she asked her brother if she should play seriously. His response was blunt. 바카라�You said yesterday you want to go to a hostel and today you want to play cricket. Decide what you want to do.바카라� Her answer: 바카라�Let바카라�s play cricket. I like playing cricket.바카라� That settled it.

From then on, her life ran on a simple circuit: class, chores and cricket. The ground was eight or nine kilometres away. She would leave at seven in the morning and return home at eight in the evening. 바카라�Sometimes I used to return from school and then go to the field. I바카라�d play, come home, help my mother and go back to training. I really wanted to play cricket.바카라�

Between 2011 and 2015, she kept travelling to Guwahati for camps fuelled by her competitive spirit and the desire to play. She was never picked. But a dogged Uma did not give up. Then, while training, someone mentioned Harmanpreet Kaur바카라�s iconic 171-run innings (off 151 balls at the 2017 Women바카라�s Cricket World Cup semi-final). She hadn바카라�t heard of anyone scoring that many. 바카라�That day I decided, one day I want to play with Harmanpreet. That score gave me belief.바카라�

In July 2024, she was selected to play against South Africa in Chennai. She had already kept wickets in a previous match due to an injury to the team바카라�s first-choice keeper, Richa Ghosh. This was her official debut. It also happened to be M. S. Dhoni바카라�s birthday. She also became the first woman from the Northeast to play for Team India.

바카라�When the team told me I was going to play, I started crying. It was a happy day. And the most important thing was that I received my debut cap from Harmanpreet!바카라� The fan had finally begun rubbing shoulders with her icon.

Her debut series didn바카라�t go well. 바카라�I didn바카라�t score runs. My highest score was 12. My keeping was poor. I dropped simple catches. I felt I didn바카라�t deserve this. I thought maybe I should just go home and stop playing.바카라�

Her mother had a different view.

바카라�My mother told me; a season is just one part of the journey. Learn what went wrong and come back with extra bounce. It gave me strength. I realised if we understand our mistakes and work harder, we can achieve what we dream of. It may take time, but it바카라�s possible,바카라� she said.

She was drafted into the Women바카라�s Premier League as an injury replacement for Vrinda Dinesh. Later, with Alyssa Healy also injured, Chetry got a full season behind the stumps for UP Warriorz.

After one game, Healy left her a note: 바카라�You바카라�re not standing in for me. You바카라�re standing for yourself.바카라�

Zeeshan Ansari: Spinning his Web

While Uma Chetry was commuting to practice grounds in Assam, Zeeshan Ansari was learning to spin a tennis ball in Lucknow바카라�s nondescript Chaudhary Tola area. At the age of five, his smallish wrist was already making the ball talk and spit, with the comfort and ease of someone much older.

His family, which ran a tailoring business, enrolled him at the local Government Sports Academy in the hope that cricket might offer Zeeshan a different life. His uncle, Gayas Ansari, often padded up at home to face him and later took on his duties at the shop so Zeeshan could train.

By 15, Zeeshan was playing district-level cricket and featuring in club tournaments. He didn바카라�t make the under-16 state team but moved quickly into the under-19 and under-23 squads. He topped the wicket charts in the Cooch Behar Trophy in 2014-15 and was picked for the India Under-19 squad for the 2016 World Cup.

The years after the World Cup weren바카라�t as straightforward, nor was the road ahead smooth. In fact, it was paved with obstacles. Despite consistent performances in domestic tournaments like the C. K. Nayudu Trophy, a regular place in the Ranji squad didn바카라�t materialise. Between 2017 and 2020, there were few chances.

바카라�That was a tough phase... After the World Cup, we thought our good days had arrived, but it wasn바카라�t so. While his teammates like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan made it big, Zeeshan was benched often. We were disappointed, but never asked him to quit,바카라� says his father, Naeem.

Coach Gopal Singh puts it simply. 바카라�He would be found at the ground the next morning, no matter how tough the day before was. That dedication made the difference.바카라�

Zeeshan kept playing local tournaments. In 2024, he won the Purple Cap in the Uttar Pradesh Premier League with 24 wickets for the Meerut Mavericks, helping them to the title. That season led to calls from several IPL teams. Sunrisers Hyderabad picked him up for INR 40 lakh at the December auction.

He made his mark in the first match, dismissing KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk. After Adam Zampa was ruled out, Zeeshan became SRH바카라�s lead spinner in the 2025 IPL.

Robin Minz: Gumla바카라�s Power-Hitter Returns

Jharkhand is known for a wealth of mineral resources which are underground and out of sight. But the state which gave India an iron-spined captain in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is fostering another raw talent.

Robin Minz learnt to bat with cane sticks and pebbles in Gumla, Jharkhand. His father, Francis Minz, worked as a security guard at Ranchi airport and hoped cricket might offer his son a different path.

Robin later joined Sonnet Cricket Club in Ranchi, known for producing talent. His aggressive batting drew attention, but he remained under the radar until Gujarat Titans bought him for INR 3.6 crore in the 2023 IPL auction. He became the first Adivasi cricketer picked in the league.

Soon after the auction, a motorbike accident near his house stalled his career. A superbike enthusiast like Dhoni, Robin was riding a Kawasaki when he collided with another motorcycle. The injuries ruled him out of the 2024 season.

His family found the phase difficult. 바카라�We were worried after the accident,바카라� Francis shared. 바카라�But we were more upset about the missed opportunity to be on the cricket field than the money lost. For Robin, cricket has always mattered more than any contract.바카라�

Despite the accident, interest in Robin remained in the IPL hierarchy. At the 2024 auction, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians both bid for him. MI secured him for INR 65 lakh. CSK had also opened bidding the previous year바카라�a detail noted by many, including those aware of Francis Minz바카라�s rapport with M. S. Dhoni at Ranchi airport.

Coach Ishaq Haque said Robin took the accident hard. 바카라�He held himself responsible for everything. But instead of dwelling on it, we helped him shift that frustration into motivation. He became more determined than ever to return stronger.바카라�

Robin returned to competitive cricket during the 2024 Col. C. K. Nayudu Trophy. In his only match, he scored 77 off 80 balls against Haryana, hitting 10 fours and three sixes.

He later made his first-class debut for Jharkhand while Ishan Kishan was on national duty. He scored 12 and 16 against Chandigarh, and 8 and 39 against Saurashtra. The seemingly modest score of 39 was part of an 84-run partnership with Anukul Roy that helped save the match.

Chanchal Bhattacharya, who once coached Dhoni, now works with Robin. 바카라�Robin might be the first from his community to break into mainstream cricket, but he certainly won바카라�t be the last,바카라� he said. 바카라�There바카라�s a quiet storm brewing in those regions. Others are coming.바카라�

Harsh Kumar works in the sports media industry

This article appears in Outlook Magazine바카라�s June 21, 2025 issue, Innings/Outings, which captures a turning point in Indian cricket 바카라�from retiring legends to small-town stars reshaping the game바카라�s power map. It appeared in print as 'Cricket For Us By Us.'