From Mewat To Kolkata: Backstory Of Civil Engineer-Turned Cricketer Shahbaz Ahmed

Kolkata club coach Partha Pratim Chowdhury has witnessed hundreds of cricketers with dreamy eyes flocking the Maidans but never a young man with engineering books accompanying his cricket kits until Shahbaz Ahmed checked in. It was a bit of a novelty even for the middle-aged Chowdhury, associated with Kolkata's first division club Tapan Memorial. Then 21 and pursuing a civil engineering degree from a private university, the player from Mewat is now a battle-hardened domestic bulwark showing his wares at the big stage.

Shahbaz, one of the pillars of the Bengal Ranji Trophy side, is also an integral part of Royal Challengers Bangalore and has shown his prowess as a batter with two game-changing knocks, against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

"Yes, this is my third season and there has been a lot of time playing at this position, so now is the time to deliver," Shahbaz said at the post-match press conference on Tuesday night.

"Today the situation was tougher because at one time, the momentum was towards RR, and the way DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) shifted the momentum towards us, I felt easy to play with him at that time. And with the same momentum, we could pull off the match (in our favour)," the 27-year-old said.

His success story was preceded by days of struggle as one toiled on the hard club grounds with some bald patches of grass for comfort.

Kolkata's club cricket has always been one of the most robust in the country but when it came to dominance, Tapan Memorial wasn't considered among cricketing royalty in the 'City of Joy'.

"We are a very small club unlike Mohun Bagan, East Bengal or Kalighat who can afford big bucks. Often we ask our senior