Uganda players ready for the biggest opportunity of a lifetime, says Alpesh Ramjani
A confident bunch of Uganda cricketers are prepared to exploit the "opportunity of a lifetime" during the upcoming T20 World Cup, reckoned batting all-rounder Alpesh Ramjani.
A spirited Uganda produced wonders in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier last November, finishing second behind Namibia to enter the marquee event for the first time.
Along the way, they had also drubbed regional heavyweights Zimbabwe.
“It is (going to be) a big experience, but (also) the biggest opportunity of a lifetime — when you play against the likes of those whom you aspire (to become). For us, who aspire to be playing in the best leagues in the world, this is a really big opportunity,” Ramjani told the media at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Ramjani said the appointment of former Delhi and Railways cricketer Abhay Sharma as the national team coach will immensely benefit them.
“Bringing in an Asian coach...his experience is a fortune for us. It is definitely going to help us in the World Cup, as well as for the development of the players individually. His techniques and experience will help in the growth of Uganda as a team," he added.
Apart from Ramjani, Ronak Patel and Dinesh Nakrani (from Saurashtra) are two other Indian-origin players in the Ugandan team.
Ramjani said Uganda's qualification for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in June has shot up the popularity of the sport.
“Cricket is now a popular game after football and rugby. The popularity of cricket has increased among the Ugandan people after our qualification. They are discovering the sport. Like India versus Pakistan, Uganda play very high intensity games with Kenya,” he said.
“It (qualification) was a dream coming true for 48 million people, we could not express ourselves and it was tough to realise that we had qualified," Ramjani said on the sidelines of his sponsorship deal announcement with Gretex Corporate.
Ramjani said Uganda will have a preparatory camp in Sri Lanka for the next 18 days.
“Our preparations for the T20 World Cup begins tomorrow (Friday) in Sri Lanka with an 18-day camp. We will play against Sri Lanka A and some other teams in Colombo and Galle,” he said.
The 29-year-old had moved to Uganda in mid-2021 after harnessing his cricket skills in Mumbai.
Having played for Mumbai U-16 and U-19 teams and the Cricket Club of India, Ramjani was also a part of the Ranji Trophy camps for two seasons.
In the inaugural edition of the now-defunct T20 Mumbai League in 2018, Ramjani was awarded the Best Developmental Player while representing Shivaji Park Lions.
Since making his debut for Uganda in September 2022 against Botswana, Ramjani has played 39 T20Is.
His exploits — 569 runs and 70 wickets — also led to him being named in ICC's Men's T20I Team of the Year 2023, which was captained by India's Suryakumar Yadav.
Ramjani has also set his sights beyond the World Cup.
"After the T20 World Cup, we will head into the six-team Challenge League for three consecutive years, wherein the top two finishers will get ODI status for two years. For those two years, we get to play with the Test-playing nations," he noted.
