India footballer now runs a tea stall
Jalpaiguri (WB), Oct 30: A woman footballer, who represented the country 10 years ago, is now running a roadside tea stall in Jalpaiguri district.
Kalpana Roy, 26, also coaches around 30 boys and trains them twice a day in order to keep herself fit, as she still nurtures the dream of playing again.
Kalpana's stint as a footballer was cut short in 2013 after she suffered a serious injury in her right leg, during a match in the Women's League, which is conducted by the Indian Football Association.
"It took me about a year to recover. I got no financial help for the treatment from anyone. From then on, I am running the tea stall," Kalpana told PTI.
Her father used to run the tea stall but he is now suffering from old age ailments.
She said, "I was contacted for trial for the senior national side but financial constraints forced me to stay back. I do not have a place to stay in Kolkata. Besides, if I leave, who will look after the family? My father is not well now."
Kalpana is the youngest of five sisters, four of whom are married. One of them stays with her. Their mother died around four years ago.
The footballer, who used to play as a forward, did not marry as she has to look after her father and other members of the family.
Kalpana, who played four international matches as an under-19 footballer in 2008, now starts practising with the 30 odd boys in the morning and opens the tea stall around 10 am.
She closes the shop at 4 pm, goes for two hours' practice and reopens the shop after coming back.
"The clubs for which the boys play pay me Rs 3,000 per month. That money is also important to me," Kalpana said.
Kalpana said she is fit enough to play at the senior level and also experienced enough to coach.
"I am confident that I can contribute to the game in both ways. All I need is a job so that I do not have to worry for the family's requirements," she said.
If anyone is interested, Kalpana said she can also set up a girls' team taking players from north Bengal.
"We have plenty of talents but no infrastructure," Kalpana, who was also a member u-17 and u-19 sides of the Bengal team, lamented.
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Like Rohit and Virat, Sanju can''t be replaced: Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag
Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag on Thursday said Sanju Samson's void cannot be filled in his side, likening the challenge to replacing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli.
Sanju, who led the Royals from 2021 to 2025, was traded to Chennai Super Kings in a pre-season move, with Ravindra Jadeja coming in as part of the deal.
"If you talk about Sanju bhaiya, we never think about replacing the kind of player he is," Parag told reporters in a pre-season press conference here.
"We can perhaps look for someone with a similar skillset or have someone bat in his position...
"It’s like there is no replacement for Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma... In the same way, there is no replacement for Sanju bhaiya because he is such a good player,” Parag said.
Having represented the franchise for 11 years across two stints, Sanju was RR's most successful captain and leading run-scorer, having guided them to the IPL 2022 final and the playoffs in 2024.
His stature has only grown manifold following a stellar T20 World Cup campaign, where he struck three successive match-defining half-centuries to power India to a historic treble and title defence.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final with Sanju being adjudged the Player-of-the-Tournament.
Rajasthan Royals had a forgettable last season, enduring 10 defeats to finish ninth in the 10=team standings.
Parag, who has been picked as the captain following Sanju's exit, said RR lost far too many close matches last year and the 2008 winners need better strategy and planning.
“This year, the focus is to plan better and finish games, which we couldn’t do in the previous edition," he said.
"We need to plan well. Last year, there were about 5-6 games which we lost in the last over or even on the last ball. Had we been able to convert those, or had we calculated better, this question (if RR would try anything new) would not have been asked because we would have qualified (for knockouts) by winning those matches," he said.
"I think that in every T20 game, there are 3-4 decisions that you have to make which change the course of the game. If we take those small decisions with strategy and planning, this year will be different," Parag added.
He further expressed his gratitude to the franchise for keeping their faith in him despite several seasons of struggle.
"I was here when I was just 17 and I have seen all the ups and downs, though more downs than ups till now. I want to thank Rajasthan Royals for supporting me and understanding the cricketer I am,” Parag said.
Sangakkara backs Parag -- the skipper
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The Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumar Sangakkara said he has always “admired” Parag as a cricketer and he was picked as a skipper after a robust round of interviews with other candidates.
"It was about trying to find the best person who can lead the Rajasthan Royals. I (first) met Riyan when he was a teenager and have admired him as a cricketer. He's right (when he says) he has gone through a lot and seen a lot," Sangakkara said.
"The most striking thing for me was (to see) how reflective and mature he has become."
“To select a captain once Sanju decided to leave, it was very important that we explore all options. We had shortlisted some candidates that we had a very strict interview process for. Riyan knows the questions were hard. At the end of the day Manoj (Badale) and I sat down and it was evident that the right choice to lead Rajasthan was Riyan,” Sangakkara added.
