These days Manpreet Singh Gony finds it hard to walk alone on the streets of Chennai for the fear of being mobbed by fans. The 24-year-old, however, remains unperturbed by his rising popularity. Life has indeed taken strange twists and turns for Gony.
As he looks back on the past few months, tears well up in his eyes. It was only the other day he and his wife were blessed with a bonny boy, but two weeks later tragedy struck. The cruel hands of fate snatched away their ‘bundle of joy'. As he stood alone in a Delhi hospital, clutching the lifeless body of his baby, the light seemed to have gone out of his life.
"We had named him Diamond. We were young parents. The day I first held him in my arms it was a priceless feeling. He was born with a heart problem. The doctors in Delhi tried their best. But I guess God willed otherwise," the tall (6' 4"), well-built Punjab da
puttar told TOI. "My wife (Manpreet Kaur) was inconsolable. I had to be strong, but trust me it was difficult. When a father holds the dead body of his son, the other things in life become insignificant" he recalled.
"When a father holds the dead body of his son,
the other things in life become insignificant"
How does it feel to be a star? "To be a star you need to play at the highest level. Yes, I am happy that I have got a foothold but now I need to build on it. Fame and money is fine but I am only one season old in first-class cricket. It's pure destiny that I am here today. Had Luv Ablish not opted for ICL, I wouldn't have played for Punjab this season. I was just concentrating on my performance for state team. I never even dreamt of being included as a catchment area player for Team Mohali, let alone Chennai. A good performance in Deodhar Trophy changed things," Gony rushed through his brief career.
Strange it is, indeed, but Gony, who now aspires to play for India, had all but given up the game a couple of years back after being ignored by Punjab selectors. "I was frustrated as I was taking wickets in club cricket consistently but was not being considered for selection. I was thinking about leaving but my wife insisted that I should just carry on. Those were hard days," said the school drop-out.
"I had given up Cricket a couple of years back
after being ignored by Punjab selectors"
"I gave up my studies after XIIth but my wife is a qualified architect. I still don't have a job. I used to earn peanuts playing club cricket. My wife sustained the family," Gony said.
Normally lot of parental support is required for sportspersons but Gony and his wife didn't get much supports from that quarter. "I snapped all ties with my parents as they were never nice to my wife," he confessed. "When I used to be away playing club cricket and various office tournaments they would make life hell for her. Those were dark days too. We have since moved in with my in-laws. With IPL and first-class cricket I have gained financial stability, I soon plan to buy my own house and want my wife to take the Civil Services entrance test," he said.
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