India-born Pushkar Sharma wants to help Kenya qualify for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024

Pushkar
has
been
garnering
attention
in
Kenyan
cricket

Pushkar
has
been
carving
a
name
for
himself
in
the
African
cricket
circuit
and
was
rewarded
for
his
performances
with
a
maiden
call-up
to
the
Kenyan
national
cricket
team.

Earlier
in
November
2022,
the
22-year-old
debuted
for
Kenya
in
the
ICC
Men’s
T20
World
Cup
Sub
Regional
Africa
‘A’ Qualifier
held
in
Rwanda.
He
has
so
far
played
4
T20Is
with
hardly
any
notable
contribution
with
the
bat.
However,
he’s
confident
of
doing
well
in
the
coming
games
and
wishes
to
make
an
impression
in
the
days
to
come.

IndiaFirst
Life
Insurance
Hails
Pushkar

Praveen
Menon,
Chief
People
Officer,
IndiaFirst
Life
Insurance
Company
Ltd.,
said,
“We
are
proud
of
Pushkar’s
achievements.
Recognising
his
abilities
and
potential
early
on,
we’ve
backed
him
throughout
his
cricketing
journey.
It
aligns
with
IndiaFirst
Life’s
credo
of
supporting
and
nurturing
talent.
We
will
continue
to
support
Pushkar
to
empower
him
to
realise
his
potential.
We
wish
him
more
success
in
times
to
come.”

On
his
selection
to
the
Kenyan
national
side,
acknowledging
IndiaFirst
Life’s
contribution
to
his
cricketing
journey,
Pushkar
Sharma
said,
“I
appreciate
IndiaFirst
Life’s
continued
support
to
boost
my
cricketing
journey.
Without
their
financial
backing,
I
would
not
have
been
able
to
reach
this
far
in
my
career.
IndiaFirst
Life
supported
me
through
thick
and
thin
when
I
was
dealing
with
my
father’s
terminal
illness.
I
am
indebted
to
IndiaFirst
Life
for
encouraging
me
and
enabling
me
to
realise
my
dreams.
It’s
a
matter
of
pride
for
me
to
be
backed
by
an
organisation
that’s
always
lived
up
to
its
core
values.”

Pushkar
Sharma’s
domestic
performance

The
dashing
southpaw
has
been
prolific
in
the
African
cricket
circuit.
He
scored
841
runs
from
14
innings
in
the
NPCA
(Nairobi
Provincial
Cricket
Association)
Super
Division
League
last
year.
While
doing
so,
he
made
a
long-lasting
impression
on
fans
and
cricket
experts
watching
the
competition.

Pushkar’s
Stats
in
Africa
Cricket
Premier
League

As
part
of
the
championship-winning
Nakuru
Leopards
team
in
the
recently
concluded
Dafabet
Africa
Cricket
Premier
League
(ACPL
Kenya
T20),
Pushkar
scored
228
runs
at
a
strike
rate
of
115
and
took
5
wickets
at
an
economy
of
under
7,
including
3
in
the
final
match
against
Thika
Hippos
in
Mombasa
on
December
21.

What
is
T20
World
Cup
Sub
Regional
Africa
‘A’ Qualifier?

The
ICC
Men’s
T20
World
Cup
Sub
Regional
Africa
“A”
Qualifier
is
an
important
phase
in
qualifying
for
the
T20
World
Cup
2024.
With
his
impressive
performance,
Pushkar
wishes
to
play
a
huge
role
in
the
regional
final
to
realise
the
Kenyan
dream
of
playing
in
the
T20
World
Cup.

The
T20
World
Cup
2024
will
be
grander
as
it
will
be
a
20-team
tournament.
The
showpiece
event
will
work
in
two
phases
before
the
knockouts,
though
in
a
different
framework
from
the
First
Round/Super
12
format
at
the
2021
and
2022
edition.

Regional
Qualifiers
to
decide
on
remaining
teams
in
T20
WC

The
2024
tournament
will
see
an
added
emphasis
on
the
regional
action
that
will
determine
the
final
spots.
Africa,
Asia
and
Europe
will
have
two
qualification
spots,
with
one
spot
for
both
the
Americas
and
East-Asia
Pacific
regions.
Top
African
teams
(except
for
South
Africa
which
has
already
qualified
by
virtue
of
its
rankings)
like
Zimbabwe
and
Namibia
will
compete
with
the
likes
of
Uganda,
Kenya,
Uganda
and
Nigeria.

Uganda
upset
Namibia
in
a
recent
T20I
series
and
will
be
aiming
to
make
the
biggest
claim
to
topple
the
big
boys.
But
the
men
known
as
the
Cricket
Cranes
were
tested
in
recent
African
qualifying
for
2022
when
they
lost
in
a
one-run
thriller
to
Kenya.

Meanwhile,
a
bulk
of
Nigeria’s
U19
World
Cup
contingent
of
2020
will
likely
make
up
their
squad,
while
Tanzania
have
formed
in
causing
upsets,
most
notably
against
Namibia
in
qualification
for
the
U19
World
Cup
2022.