Saqib Bashir
Meet Jehangir Lone, the true poster boy of J&K Cricket, whose astonishing performances have set the cricketing world ablaze. Whether it’s wielding the bat or delivering fiery balls, Lone’s charismatic presence on the field is simply unmatched.
Like other states of India UT Jammu and Kashmir is also on the frontline in cricket, with so much cricketing skill, the Jammu and Kashmir cricketers have been making their presence at local and domestic level also. Over the past few years cricketers from J&K have been making advances on larger platforms, particularly since the emergence of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, there is one man who has taken the local cricket of J&K by storm due to his staggering performances in every corner of the UT. Every time he steps on to the field, people rush to fields just to have a glimpse of the man who roars like a lion with bat and ball in hand. No matter who the opposition is and or what the venue and conditions offer, he makes run scoring as easy as walking on a cake!
Even if you don’t follow cricket closely, you surely know who this man is; Jahangir Lone: the poster-boy of J&K Cricket.
Lone 33, hailing from North Kashmir’s Nowpora Jagir, is a household name in every part of the valley nowadays. Having started his cricket journey at an early age, Lone has made his name shine brightly in local cricket of J&K.
Not only the local cricket, Jehangir Lone made it to the state team of J&K in season 2013-2014 for the Vijay Hazare Trophy and got just 2 games to play where he impressed many by striking some mighty hits coming lower down the order but the tides turned very quickly as Lone had a big injury and had to take time off the game for a longer period.
Lone has been unstoppable in local cricket since coming back from the major injury and has performed against every opposition in almost every ground of the UT. Lone’s power-hitting ability is what makes him different from all other players of Kashmir.
Right now in Kashmir, Jehangir Lone is the name that every person of the valley cherishes, from kids to old men. People just follow one man in Kashmir, Jehangir Lone, who with his performances and down to earth nature has found his place in every heart of Kashmir.
Lone has got a staggering fan following in the whole UT while he also has got a huge fan base outside Kashmir as well. What makes Lone special from other players of the valley is that his fans love him to a huge extent. No matter where the venue is, if Jehangir Lone is playing, the huge rush of people is guaranteed. This year Lone has taken the valley by storm as he has performed staggeringly in the big matches in front of thousands of people under immense pressure.
However, the journey has not been as easy as it seems for Lone, a major sector of people have also raised questions over One’s career and way of playing cricket. People have raised questions very often regarding the players charging money for playing matches and Lone being the poster boy of J&K cricket has also received backlash for the same but the cricketer has always remained of the opinion that just like other professions, Cricket is also a profession which some people need to respect and has stressed upon the fact that people should know that it’s not wrong to earn some bucks as they also have a family to feed and they also invest their valuable time by playing cricket almost every day.
Jehangir’s fitness and work ethics have helped the cricketer to perform well and remain away from injuries, inspired by Indian Great Virat Kohli, Lone spends a great time in the gym and believes that fitness plays a vital role in shaping up one’s career and helping one to perform well and stand out from the rest of players.
Lone has got impressive numbers with both bat and ball in his cricketing career so far, having scored tons of runs and taken bundles of wickets in every part. However due to offline scoring the numbers are hard to tell in exact figure but the introduction of Cricheroes, a live scoring app from the last few years has helped us to have a glimpse of Lone’s impressive journey.
Lone bats usually at number 6 or lower for his team and has scored a staggering 6823 runs in 266 innings with an average of 30.06 and a destructive strike-rate of 181.61. He has managed to score 5 centuries and 38 half-centuries with the highest being 131. Jehangir has also bagged 255 wickets in 218 innings with the best bowling figures being 5/6 in his impressive career so far.
Jehangir Lone has represented many big clubs and teams of Kashmir so far in his journey and is currently leading one of the biggest clubs of Kashmir, Sultan Warriors Baramulla and has led them to 11 finals in the current year and it remains to be seen for how long will Jehangir Lone continue to entertain his fans with his extraordinary talent.
As Jehangir Lone’s star continues to ascend, the cricketing world eagerly awaits his next move. Will he make a mark on the national stage? Only time will tell.
