I wasn’t good enough to play for Mumbai: Bangar

A couple of months into his 38th year,Bangar has come a long way in terms of longevity in the game. A prolific scorer in the domestic circuit,Bangar forms an integral part of the core unit of the Railways side. However,it wasn’t Railways that Bangar had in mind when he made cricket his profession,but the side that dismissed him for 13 on Day One on Tuesday.

As a student in the eleventh grade,Bangar made the journey from Aurangabad to Mumbai to pursue his ambitions of becoming a cricketer. Practicing his art in Shivaji Park,Mumbai,Bangar represented the team in the under-16,under-19 and zonal levels. But before his goal of playing for the senior team could crystalise,the then 21-year old made the switch to Railways,where he has played his cricket ever since.

“I have learnt all my cricket in Mumbai. I will always be grateful for that,” Bangar told Sportline. “Mumbai has a great set up for budding cricketers,but I was never good enough to get into their main squad. One has to learn to accept the facts quickly,” he added.

Missing out on school cricket in the city though,is Bangar’s only regret. “I wish that I could have played cricket in Mumbai during my school days. It is the only thing I feel I have missed out on. I arrived on the scene when I was already out of school,” he said. Bangar though believes that it was due to Railways that he has become a better cricketer overall. “My game became more rounded once I joined Railways. Here I learnt how to deal with extra responsibilities for which I will always be grateful.”