Sirf chand hee Indian khiladi is prestigious club ke liye khel paaye hain, aur unki kahaniyaan na sirf unke talent ko dikhati hain, balki us daur ke challenges ko bhi ujaagar karti hain. Ruturaj Gaikwad ke Yorkshire join karne se pehle, teen Indian khiladi – Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, aur Cheteshwar Pujara – ne is club ke liye apna jalwa dikhaya. Par kya yeh teenon apne daur mein Yorkshire ke liye wahi asar chhod paaye jo unhone apne international career mein kiya? Aaiye, inki kahaniyon mein doobte hain.
Sabse pehle baat karte hain Sachin Tendulkar ki, jo 1992 mein Yorkshire ke liye khelne wale pehle Indian aur pehle overseas khiladi bane. Sachin us waqt sirf 19 saal ke the, lekin unka naam already duniya bhar mein ghoom raha tha. 1991 ke Australia tour mein unhone apni batting se sabko hairaan kar diya tha, jab unhone Sydney mein unbeaten 148 aur Perth mein 114 runs banaye. Yorkshire ke liye unhone 16 first-class matches khele aur 1070 runs banaye, jisme ek shandaar century bhi shamil tha. Ek yaadgaar match tha 1992 ka Worcestershire ke khilaaf, jahan Sachin ne 88 runs ki padi kheli aur team ko jeet dilane mein madad ki. Par Sachin ka yeh stint chhota tha, aur shayad Yorkshire ke strict culture aur unke apne international commitments ke beech, unhone waisa hi rang nahi jamaya jaisa unhone India ke liye kiya. Phir bhi, ek 19 saal ke ladke ka aise club ke liye khelna, jahan tradition sabse upar hai, apne aap mein ek badi baat thi. Sachin ne dikha diya ki Indian khiladi bhi global stage par apna dum dikha sakte hain.
Agla naam hai Yuvraj Singh ka, jo 2003 mein Yorkshire ke liye khele. Yuvraj us waqt ek naye star the, jinhone 2002 ke NatWest Series final mein England ke khilaaf 69 runs ki match-winning innings kheli thi, aur woh iconic moment jab unhone Mohammad Kaif ke saath ground par daud lagayi thi, cricket fans ke dil mein ab tak taza hai. Yorkshire ke liye Yuvraj ka daur thoda chhota aur kam chamakdar raha. Unhone 7 first-class matches mein sirf 145 runs banaye, jisme koi century ya half-century nahi thi. Ek match jo yaad rehta hai woh tha Lancashire ke khilaaf, jahan Yuvraj ne 42 runs banaye, par team haar gayi. Yuvraj ka style, jo T20 aur ODI mein dhamakedaar tha, shayad Yorkshire ke red-ball cricket ke liye thoda alag tha. Phir bhi, Yuvraj ka wahan khelna ek chhote sheher ke ladke ka sapna pura karne jaisa tha, jise duniya ke sabse bade clubs mein apne talent ko aazmane ka mauka mila. Unka yeh daur unke career ka ek chhota sa hissa tha, lekin isne unhe ek naye culture mein cricket khelne ka anubhav diya, jo baad mein unke international career mein kaam aaya.
Teesra naam hai Cheteshwar Pujara ka, jo 2015 aur 2018 mein Yorkshire ke liye khele. Pujara, jinko Indian cricket mein “The Wall” ke baad doosra defensive maestro kaha jata hai, ne apne Test career mein Australia ke khilaaf 2018-19 series mein 521 runs banaye the, jisme teen centuries shamil the. Yorkshire ke liye unhone 10 first-class matches mein 436 runs banaye, jisme ek century aur ek half-century thi. Ek memorable match tha 2015 ka Middlesex ke khilaaf, jahan Pujara ne 133 runs ki shandaar padi kheli aur Yorkshire ko draw tak le gaye. List A matches mein bhi unhone 370 runs banaye, jisme ek century shamil thi. Pujara ka yeh stint unke sabse consistent performances mein se ek tha, aur unhone dikha diya ki Indian khiladi na sirf flair ke liye, balki patience aur technique ke liye bhi jaane ja sakte hain. Yorkshire jaise club mein, jahan pressure hamesha high rehta hai, Pujara ka yeh performance unke chhote sheher Rajkot se aane wale ek ladke ki mehnat aur dedication ko dikhata hai.
In teen khiladiyon ki kahaniyaan ek baat saaf karti hain – Yorkshire ke liye khelna koi chhoti baat nahi. Sachin ne apne youth aur raw talent se, Yuvraj ne apne fearless approach se, aur Pujara ne apne rock-solid technique se is club ke liye apna yogdaan diya. Jab 2003 mein Yuvraj khel rahe the, tabhi India ne South Africa mein World Cup final khela tha, aur jab Pujara 2015 mein Yorkshire ke liye khele, tab India ne Sri Lanka ke khilaaf Test series jeeti thi. Yeh moments batate hain ki Indian cricket us waqt bhi badh raha tha, aur in khiladiyon ne Yorkshire jaise platform par apne desh ka naam roshan kiya. Inke performances shayad hamesha stats mein perfect na dikhe, lekin inke efforts ne Indian khiladiyon ke liye ek rasta banaya, jise aaj Ruturaj Gaikwad jaise naye players follow kar rahe hain.
Lekin yahan ek thodi si khalish bhi rehti hai. Yorkshire jaise club ke liye itne kam Indian khiladi kyun khele? Kya wahan ke strict traditions, ya Indian players ke international schedules ne isse roka? Ya phir Indian cricket ka focus hamesha se hi international aur IPL jaise bade platforms par raha? Ruturaj Gaikwad ke aane se shayad ek naya chapter shuru ho, lekin yeh sawal ab bhi bana rehta hai ki kya Indian khiladi is historic club ke liye regularly khel paayenge, ya yeh sirf ek rare milestone hi rahega.
