Nitesh overcomes crippling ailment to bowl again

NAGPUR: Some accept what life has in store for them, others fight it out and write their own destiny. Vidarbha pacer Nitesh Choudhary certainly falls in the latter category.
Not so long ago, the 21-year-old had everything going for him. He led the Vidarbha Under-19 side two years ago and was looking for a place in the senior side. A few months later, however, fortunes took a U-turn when he was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a crippling ailment that kept him bed-ridden for two months.Leading rheumatologists of the country advised him to stop playing and look for an alternative career.
However, Choudhary had other ideas. Armed with a strong will power and hard work, Choudhary is now included in Vidarbha squad after fellow pacer Shailesh Bhondekar injured his groin. "It's a great achievement. A person with Ankylosing Spondylitis finds it difficult to lead a normal life but here is someone playing competitive cricket. Fast bowling takes a lot out you. It's fantastic to see Nitesh back. I have been watching him since he was 14. He is a competitor. It also shows that VCA system is also working well," orthopaedic surgeon Dr Suhas Singh told TOI on Sunday.
Nitesh is one of the fittest players in Vidarbha right from Under-15 days. Somehow he was injury prone and that always puzzled Vidarbha physiotherapist Dr Ashish Agrawal, who played a vital role in Choudhary's recovery. "He had a diarrhoea attack in 2010 and after that he complained of pain in shoulder, back, knees and ankle. So we went in for a detailed blood test. That confirmed the diagnosis. We consulted the best rheumatologists and they all asked him to look for an alternative career. But he was determined to play cricket. His strong desire to succeed and passion got him back on the field. I just helped him out," Agrawal said.
"Every morning I would ache in different parts of my body. While going to bed, I'd be scared of the morning. But I learnt to live with the pain and decided to fight it out," Choudhary said. Everyone had lost hope except Choudhary and Agrawal. "Michael Artherton and Michael Slater were the two cricketers played with this disease but I didn't find any bowler who played even first class while suffering Ankylosing Spondylitis. So it was a challenge," Agrawal said.
They decided to go step by step and took one body part at a time. They were helped by VCA officials who first offered him to join the academy as an assistant coach so he could remain in touch with the game. After seeing his teammates play, his desire to play grew. They started with swimming and yoga along with ayurvedic treatment.
Finally, Nitesh was back on field, although, not fully recovered. He went with his club side to play a Twenty20 tournament where he bowled with a shorter run-up. "I was dropped from the Club side. From captaining Vidarbha Under-19 to get dropped from even club side was devastating. I thought I can only rise from here," Choudhary said.
Choudhary had to change his lifestyle, right from his food habits to sleeping position. With physiotherapy and other treatment under Agrawal, Choudhary achieved full fitness before Ranji Trophy. He played a two-day practice match where he bowled beautifully. "He was always a good bowler who could swing at mid 130s which is enough to trouble any batsman. Besides, he is a brilliant fielder. Credit should also go to VCA officials and selectors for having faith in him," former India pacer Subroto Bannerje, who is also VCA's bowling coach, said.
VCA president Prakash Dixit, however, says, "we haven't done anything special. It was our duty. All credit to him, Dr Agrawal and the other support staff."
Now that he is back on the field, Chaudhary, a commerce student, is not thinking of an alternative career. He is just focusing on performing well for his team. "I am thankful to VCA, my family, my coaches Subroto sir, Neil (D'Costa) sir, Sullu (Sulakshan Kulkarni), Suhas (Pawar). No association in the country would have invested in a bed-ridden player. Now, it's my turn to repay that. It's a new beginning for me," he concluded.