Oman may have been eliminated from the continued Asia Cup 2025 to two losses back-to-back, but wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla is more than excited to play a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Friday, although he knew it was a dead rubber. For Shukla, it would be a reunion with his childhood friends Yadav and Rinku Singh. Born in Kanpur, Shukla started playing at a young age at a young age like all children and gradually up to the club level. While Shukla represents PSE, Kuldeep played for Rovers Club, while the duo regularly crossed roads in local matches. However, the lack of opportunities at the state level has traveled through the country in search of opportunities. Discharge Legendary MS Dhoni, Shukla, took the lead of former Indian international players Manoj Tiwary and Ashok Dinda in Bengal. He even met former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik when the latter Kolkata Knight Riders represented during the Indian Premier League and also played against Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Azhardeen (Van Kerala). However, it was in 2021, Shukla decided to take the risk and move to Oman to chase his cricket dream. How did the move to Oman happened? During his struggling days, after consultation to some senior players, Shukla went to one coaches Prakash Palande, who advised him to move to Muscat. “He gave me the opportunity to go to Muscat,” Shukla told Toi. “He told me I would have to stay there for about two years, and if I perform well, I can get the country after about three years.” But playing cricket in Oman was not easy because he took on a job operator to meet his daily needs. Life was not a bed full of roses in Oman. He worked during the day and practiced at night. His hard work finally finished fruit when Shukla made his debut for Oman in 2024 against Qatar.
Meet Vinayak Shukla – Kuldeep Yadav’s child friend of Kanpur, who left Indian cricket in 2021 to chase Oman Dream
