Rohit Kumar Paudel, Nepal Cricket Captain who qualified Nepal into the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup

Rohit Kumar Paudel is a Nepalese cricketer who was born on September 2, 2002. He is currently the captain of the Nepal national cricket team. On February 8, 2018, he made his List A debut for Nepal in the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament. After Nepal won the ICC T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, he was motivated to play cricket. Kumar became the youngest male cricketer to score an international half-century in January 2019. In February 2020, his teammate Kushal Malla broke the record. He is Nepal’s all-time highest run scorer in ODI cricket and the first Nepalese player to score 1,000 runs. In November 2022, he was appointed captain of the Nepal cricket team.

How did Rohit Paudel become a cricketer?

Rohit started playing tennis in his hometown when he was very young. After his first appearance in an ICC global event at the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, he was motivated to play for his national team and lead them to greatness. His talent shined like a shining star, and his family and academy coaches encouraged him to fulfil his dream. He had become too smart to not play for his national team while dominating the domestic circuit. In the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament, aged just 16 years old, he earned his first unofficial cap for Nepal in a first-class game.

The Rise of the Hero:

He soon made his official debut for the Nepal Men’s Cricket Team. He made his debut for the Nepal Cricket Team on August 3, 2018, in Amstelveen, Netherlands, when he played his first one-day international cricket match against the Netherlands. At 15 years and 335 days, he became the fourth youngest player to make his ODI debut. Each inning he played showed his determination and abilities. Imagine having a record for being the youngest male player to score a half century of international games. This record was held by Rohit Paudel until 2020.

He played his first Twenty20 match for his national team on July 29, 2018 against the Marylebone Cricket Club in the MCC Tri-Nation Series. He made his Nepal T20I debut against the United Arab Emirates on January 31, 2019.

Batting and Playing Style of Rohit:

Rohit Paudel’s shy nature in front of the media has earned him a resemblance to MS Dhoni’s manner on the field. He is a very cool, calm, and composed person who exhibits all the true qualities that a captain should possess on the cricket pitch. His batting style is a stunning combination of modern flare and traditional shots. He is a middle-order batsman who has outstanding footwork and timing, and he can lead innings and speed up when needed. Since his debut, his play has helped Nepal win several cricket matches.

International Career of Rohit Paudel:

He was chosen to be part of Nepal’s team for the One Day International (ODI) series against the Netherlands in July 2018. These were the first ODI matches Nepal had played since the country gained ODI status during the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. On September 29, 2018, he played against the Marylebone Cricket Club in the 2018 MCC Tri-Nation Series, making his Twenty20 debut for Nepal.

August 3, 2018 was the day Rohit Paudel debuted in ODI cricket for Nepal. He was the fourth-youngest player to make an ODI debut at the tender age of 15 years and 335 days. He showed his early potential with a boundary when he made his first ODI appearance, contributing 6 runs off just 15 balls. Paudel was caught out during the match while batting in the sixth position.

He was chosen to be part of Nepal’s team for the 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier tournament in August. On August 30, 2018, in the game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Rohit Paudel contributed 9 runs to Nepal’s inning. It was his second one-day international match. During his time at the crease, he faced 14 deliveries and scored a strike rate of 64.28. Nevertheless, he was dismissed after crossing two boundaries, which the opponent caught. He scored 161 runs in three games for Nepal in the 2018 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup.

Paudel became the youngest male cricketer to score an international half century on January 26, 2019, at 16 years and 146 days. In the second ODI against the United Arab Emirates at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai, he scored 55 runs from 58 balls. He scored 16 runs off 24 balls in his fourth ODI game in the following game.

He was chosen for Nepal’s Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the series against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019. On January 31, 2019, he made his T20I debut for Nepal against the United Arab Emirates. In this game, Rohit batted in sixth place and scored four runs off eight balls. He had a strike rate of 50.00 and managed to hit four in his inning. Paudel was finally fired after he was captured.

He was selected as the captain of Nepal’s squad for the Asia qualification tournament for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in April 2019. Paudel scored 95 runs from 105 balls in Nepal’s opening match of the tournament against Singapore.

He was included in Nepal’s squad for the 2018-19 ICC T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier tournament’s Regional Finals in June 2019. He participated in five T20I tournaments and scored 5, 19, DNB, 6*, and 5 runs at an average of 8.75. Between October 5 and 10, Rohit played in the 2019–20 Oman Pentangular Series. He scored 5 runs in two of the four t20i games against Hong Kong and the Netherlands.

He was added to Nepal’s squad for the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup in Bangladesh in November 2019. Later that month, he was added to the Nepali team for the men’s cricket tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games. In the tournament, Nepal played three T20I matches: 1 against Bhutan and 2 against the Maldives. Additional games included matches against the full-nation U-23 sides। Rohit scored six, ten, and fifteen runs in three T20Is.

He was one of eighteen cricketers to receive a central contract from the Cricket Association of Nepal in September 2020. Paudel scored 126 runs in the first match of a two-match series against Papua New Guinea on March 25, 2022. That was his first century in an ODI match.

Qualified Nepal to Asia Cup and T20 World Cup

Under his leadership, Nepal won the 2023 ACC Men’s Premier Cup in May 2023 and qualified for the 2023 Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Similarly, Nepal also won the ICC T20 World Cup Asia Regional Qualifier and secured the place in the ICC men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Caribbean and United States after a decade.

Rohit was appointed captain of the 2023 Asian Games in China in September 2023, and he made his T20I debut against Mongolia. In 2024, he was the man of the series on the Canada Tour of Nepal.