NepalLalit Rajbanshi | ललित राजवंशी
Who is Lalit Rajbanshi
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Personal Details
| Name | Lalit Rajbanshi |
| Gender | Male |
| Birth | 27 Feb 1999 |
| Birth Place | Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepalis |
| Team | Janakpur Bolts |
Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi is a name that has become synonymous with Nepali cricket, celebrated for his rise from humble beginnings to becoming one of Nepal’s most prominent cricketers. Known for his left-arm spin and consistent performances, Lalit’s journey in cricket is a story of determination, hard work, and perseverance. His remarkable transition from a fast bowler to a left-arm spinner has made him an indispensable part of Nepal’s national cricket team.
Lalit (Lalit Narayan) Rajbanshi’s sporting journey is truly dramatic. There are many twists and turns in it. Initially, there was no atmosphere for him to play cricket. He did play, but initially, he was a fast bowler. Later he became a spinner. He established himself as a spinner. Now he is a regular player of the Nepali national team, who can play a decisive role in the overall performance of the team.
The biggest feature of his game is that he is a left-arm spinner. Apart from that, he is very hardworking, works hard. Another spinner, Basant Regmi, has contributed a lot to him in his journey so far. When they went out to play together, they used to stay in the same room. Perhaps Basant gave a lot to Nepali cricket, but received less credit. To some extent, Lalit is also like that. But Lalit is the same player whose bowling saved Nepal’s one-day recognition.
From fast bowler to spinner -Lalit Rajbanshi
Lalit was born in 1999. Born in Biratnagar Metropolitan City 4, Lalit started playing cricket while he was in school. There was no atmosphere for playing cricket in his village. He had a normal background. That’s why he used to play in secret. His father would ask, what would happen if he played? At first, Lalit played even after being beaten. Not much, even when he was studying up to 12th grade, Lalit was enjoying ‘street cricket’.
That was everything. He didn’t know what was beyond that. In his time, cricket was played with a dozen balls. Anyone was afraid to bowl with this ball. Lalit, on the other hand, would move forward thinking that it wouldn’t happen, but instead would bowl fast. Because of his fast bowling, the ball would go anywhere and get lost, he would get scolded. Others would also get hurt because of his bowling. He studied in a normal school, so there was no atmosphere of the game.
So after returning home after the holidays, he would go to the playground where the boarding school students would play. When he would spin the ball that came out with his hands and throw it, he felt that he would come to bowl. And, gradually, he started getting opportunities. It is fun to say that Rajbanshi also had a great contribution in Lalit’s sports life. This is the same Ajay who gave a new turn to Lalit’s cricketing life. His advice to Lalit was to become a left-arm spin bowler.
So, Lalit’s suggestion to sharpen his bowling skills proved to be right. He started playing college cricket for a while. But Lalit still had doubts in his mind. So he also took training to see if he would become an umpire. He was also seen in some college-level competitions as an umpire. At that time, Buddhi Bahadur Pradhan, who had already made a name for himself as an umpire, gave him one piece of advice. Play first. Only then think about becoming an umpire.
Lalit also accepted this advice.
After starting college, he would not go home straight away, he would be busy with cricket. He would only reach home in the evening. Another character played a big role behind Lalit’s addiction to cricket and that is, his uncle. This uncle used to watch cricket on Doordarshan, which is why Lalit also understood the language of cricket. Moreover, because of his uncle’s habit of watching cricket, he also fell in love with this game.
U-19 World Cup 2013: Lalit played in the national tournament. His role for the Zone No. 1 team was as a spinner. In that first tournament, he took 10 wickets in four matches. As a result, he was called up for the U-19 national team preparation. Not only was he called up, but he was also in the final team and played in the ACC Premier in Malaysia in 2015. Then he played in the global selection for the U-19 World Cup that same year. Nepal became the champion in that.
Nepal was selected for the U-19 World Cup. He took three wickets in the selection match against Ireland. That is why he was named the ‘Player of the Match’ in that match. But Lalit was not included in the team to play in the U-19 World Cup. It was natural for him to be sad about that. The player who was supposed to be in the Nepali team in his place was Sandeep Lamichhane. Lalit is a true gentleman, even though he could not play, he was happy that Nepal played in the Youth World Cup.
National team debut against Zimbabwe
It did not take long for Lalit to enter the national team within a few years of playing for the U-19s. Lalit made his senior debut in the 2018 One-Day World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe. He made his List A debut for Nepal in the first match against home team Zimbabwe. In that match, Lalit bowled the entire 10 over quota and took 1 wicket for 62 runs. Chasing the target of 381 runs set by Zimbabwe, Nepal played the entire 50 overs and scored 264 runs.
Lalit did not have to bat. Lalit Rajbanshi, who started playing for the national team in 2018, had ups and downs in his career. He kept getting in and out of the team. There was fierce competition as there were many left-arm spinners. Injuries also kept bothering him. In July 2018, the Nepali team went on a tour of London to play at the historic Lord’s. There, Nepal played a T20I. Lalit made his debut in the T20I against the Netherlands at Lord’s.
Immediately after that, Nepal went to the Netherlands to play a historic ODI series. Lalit was also in the team announced by Nepal for the first ODI series. But Lalit was not the only one who could not make his debut. Sandeep was in the team, but he could not play in the presence of veteran spinners Basant Regmi and Shakti Gauchan. Lalit had to wait five months for his ODI debut. Lalit made his ODI debut against the UAE in February 2019 during the UAE tour. Lalit, who scored two runs in the batting, did not get his turn to bowl. Nepal scored only 113 runs in that match. Nepal took three wickets in that match.
