One of Indian cinema’s finest and the best of Indian actors to have achieved success in the West, Irrfan Khan breathed his last at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday afternoon. His sudden demise, due to a colon infection, has left the country in a state of mourn and a huge void in Indian cinema. Yet, cinema and theatre was perhaps not always Irrfan’s objective. He wanted to become a cricketer too and it was only when cricket seemed out his bounds that the late actor took to acting as his preferred destination. Like many stories, Irrfan’s story was one where a cricketing journey drew to a premature end even before it could fly. Rest in Peace, Irrfan Khan! The Amazing Spider-Man, Life of Pi, Jurassic World – Why He Was Bollywood’s Most Successful Crossover Star.

Long before he was determined to become an actor, Irrfan was training to become a cricketer. And according to him, he was a ‘good’ cricketer but he called himself a ‘good’ actor too – that should justify what ‘good’ meant to him. Again, he was good enough to be selected for the U23 Col CK Nayudu tournament. He was certainly talented – a promising bowler. Irrfan Khan Dies at 53: Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Others from Cricket Fraternity Offer Condolences.

“My captain liked my bowling, so he made me a bowler. I don’t know,” Irrfan once recalled in a show with comedian and host Abish Mathew. “He used to tell me, ‘Throw me a nice one…’ I used to just throw the ball and somehow used to get a couple of wickets,” he added as quoted by Hindustan Times. But family support was lacking “I had to lie to go and play, and make excuses when asked where we were. it wasn’t encouraged to have a career in sports.” Irrfan Khan’s Love for Acting Came from His Childhood Days Participating Street Plays in His Home-Town Jaipur.

Family’s deterrence from allowing him to pursue the game wasn’t the reason he gave up cricket. Like he had said in the show, Irrfan was ready to fight his family and gain their trust but money was always a problem and he couldn’t fight to earn money. Eventually, money mattered for pursuing a career. The Sachins, Kohlis and most top cricketers battled financial cramps to build a career and achieve greatness but Irrfan wasn’t going to - not at least with the ball and bat. But with his eyes, his voice modulation and passion.

What for a career when I didn’t have money to travel, he had said recalling a career that could have been. “When I was selected, the team had to travel from Jaipur to Ajmer, and I needed Rs 200-250. I couldn’t arrange for it. So that day, I realised that I couldn’t pursue this,” he said. And his cricketing journey had reached its end there. But a full stop to his cricketing career triggered a determined actor in him.

Cricket’s loss was always going to be someone, something else’s gain. What mattered was what Irrfan chose and he chose acting. Like towards his cricket aspirations, his family was reluctant to see him as an actor. "No-one could have imagined I would be an actor, I was so shy. So thin. But the desire was so intense." In 1984, Irrfan joined the National School of Drama in Delhi on a scholarship and the rest was what no one – not even him – imagined. Rest in Peace Irrfan Sahab!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2020 08:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).