Against all odds: From driving autos to bowling for Mumbai, Juned Khan's inspiring journey

LUCKNOW: Like thousands who come to Mumbai in search of a livelihood, economic hardships forced Juned Khan to make the journey from Uttar Pradesh in 2014.

Once in the city of dreams, his only aim was to make a living. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine playing cricket, let alone representing Mumbai. But in a city that rewards hard work, Juned found his way and was handed his debut in the Irani Cup, which Mumbai lifted for the 15th time on Saturday.

The icing on the cake was his debut at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium, just 145 km from his hometown of Kannauj. Many from Kannauj - including his brothers and friends -travelled daily to watch him in action. For the uninitiated, Kannauj is known as the perfume capital of India. "Never thought I could play cricket at this level. I came to Mumbai to earn," said an ecstatic Juned as he clicked pictures with the Irani Cup trophy, celebrated with his teammates, and obliged those asking for a selfie.

When Juned, now 25, first arrived in Mumbai, he initially worked as a helper at a local jeans factory in Andheri. Later, with the help of his friends, he started driving an auto rickshaw and lived in a chawl just outside Bandra station. The early years were tough but his will to fight through was stronger.
The first time he began playing proper cricket was in 2019. His journey started at Sanjeevani Cricket Academy in Kherwadi, Bandra, which was close to where he stayed with his auto driver friends from UP. From there, he never looked back.

"I had the urge to play cricket. I was always fond of bowling since childhood, so I started bowling in their nets. I didn't have enough money to buy spikes, so I played with rubber spikes for a couple of months. But when I was about to register at the MCA, the lockdown started, and I had to wait a couple of years to get it done," said Juned, who comes from a humble background.

Once normalcy resumed, he soon found himself playing on Mumbai's famous maidaans. His fortunes took a turn for the better when he impressed India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar during a Police Shield match at PJ Hindu Gymkhana.

"He was impressed with my bowling and spoke to me about my issues after the match. He helped me a lot. He told me to stop driving the auto and focus on cricket. At that time, he told me, 'Tu khel, tera bowling accha hai, tu Ranji bhi khel sakta hai (you focus on cricket. Your bowling is good, and you can play Ranji). He is like a godfather to me," said Juned.

"Soon, I started practicing with him at his academy. I was a net bowler for KKR in the last IPL. Slowly, I started performing in local tournaments in Mumbai, which got me selected to the probables list this season. I did well in the Buchi Babu tournament and then in the KSCA event, which led to my selection for the Irani Cup," he added.

In local tournaments, he represents PJ Hindu Gymkhana. He still lives in the same locality in Bandra East, sharing space with five friends three of whom do deliveries for a food delivery app, while a couple of them drive autos.

Juned, who idolizes Mohammed Shami, said: "The day I came to know I'd be playing, I couldn't sleep for two days." Mumbai will hope he channels the inner Shami in him to bring laurels to his adopted city.