New Delhi 

Muhammad Amaan, 18, and son of a truck driver, is the captain of the Indian under-19 cricket team that will take on to Australia in Puducherry next month.

His story is extraordinary in the way he rose against adversity and how society helped him stay on the path of following his passion.

Amaan, a right hander batsman, from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, lost his parents two years ago and he was left to take care of his three younger siblings.

His mother died in 2020 due to the COVID-19 and two years later, his father Mehtab died after a prolonged illness. He father had already lost his job of driving a truck during the Covid and the family faced tough time.

The 16-year-old Amaan had two choices: either he continues playing cricket or forgets his dream and looks for jobs.

Mohammad Amaan

Amaan tried for jobs but there was no luck; or maybe that was lucky for him. Some well-wishers encouraged him not to give up cricket and decided to continue playing. Two years of hard work paid off when he was picked to lead India's Under-19 ODI cricket team, which will face Australia Under-19s in Puducherry next month.

The team includes Samit Dravid, son of former captain and World Cup-winning Indian Team’s coach  Rahul Dravid.

Amaan who now only flies in the business class in airplanes says sometimes it's hard to believe that "dark days" are a thing of the past.

After he was named Captain of the Indian team, Mohammad Amaan's dilapidated house in Saharanpur has become became the center of media attention.

Amaan told media persons, "When I lost my father, it was like I suddenly grew up in a day. I had become the head of the family. I had to take care of my younger sister and two brothers. I told myself that I should quit cricket and even looked for a job in Saharanpur, but to no avail. However, some people wanted me to continue playing and were willing to help."

He says the passive away of his parents in quick succession left him at a loss to deal with the situation.

He becomes emotional while speaking about his life after the death of his parents. Today, he says he misses his parents who would have been the happiest to see his rise.

Amaan started playing cricket in 2014. His parents initially refused to support him due to their poor financial condition.

Remembering his mother, Aman said that he still has the first bat brought to him by his mother. Even today it's his most precious bat for him.

Besides thanking his parents for their support, Mohammad Amaan credits his success to his first coach Rajeev Goyal. He also feel grateful to D.S. Chauhan, Chairman of Saharanpur District Cricket Association for his support.

Both Chouhan and Goyal have supported him like mentors at each step of his career.

Amaan started his career at the Bhateshwar Cricket Ground in Saharanpur. Amaan won Under-14 in 2016-17, U-14 in 2017-18, U-16 in 2018-19, U-16 in 2019-20 and U-16 in 2022-23 in 19 cricket categories.

Asked about his motivation, Muhammad Amaan asked, "Have you ever slept hungry? I have. I never waste food, nothing is greater than hunger, I never waste my food now because I know how hard it is to earn."

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He remembers sitting near the toilet in the general compartment of the train. "Once the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association group trials were held in Kanpur, I used to travel in the general compartment in the train, sitting near the toilet as it was very crowded," he said. "Today, when I travel by flight and stay in a nice hotel, I just thank Allah.