A Tennis Ball Cricket player, Vihal Nahar has represented India at an International tournament held in Sri Lanka. Inspired by his friends and his maternal uncle, he has been playing tennis ball cricket since 2013-14. He has gradually gained confidence and has led his school’s CBSE team as a captain. An international player Kuldeep Singh Rao is his mentor. His father Suresh Chandra Nahar and mother Vandana Nahar always support him.

The Initiation

Vihal is presently enrolled in Rockwoods School and plays Tennis Ball Cricket. He had been a cricket fan from childhood and used to play with his pals. He also observed his maternal uncle play cricket. Thus, his pals and maternal uncle inspired him to start playing cricket. He's been playing Tennis Ball Cricket since 2013-14. He used to play gully cricket and then trained at many academies. Later, he began playing tennis ball cricket and continued with it.

Gurus & Role Models

His mentor is Kuldeep Singh Rao, who has helped him achieve good ranks in cricket. His instructor is himself an international player, having won three gold medals for India. Previously, Vihal used to attend two- three institutions for training but did not get satisfactory results. Kuldeep Sir coached him and propelled him to this level. Vihal looks up to his father, Suresh Chandra Nahar, a Nayab Tehsildaar in Udaipur and former university topper as a role model. His father often encourages him to get up early in the morning to exercise. He also admires his mother Vandana Nahar, who helps him with his nutrition and diet. His parents also encourage him in his studies, never putting him under pressure to perform well. His parents and brother have always encouraged him to participate in every competition.

The Talent

According to Vihal, Tennis Ball cricket is similar to Standard Cricket, except that it has shorter boundaries and hitting a six is considered ‘out’. He says that he was previously an introverted person, but after embracing sports, he began to talk and engage with others more. His confidence grew gradually, and he now captains his school’s CBSE team. He has also gained valuable experience as the team's captain. Furthermore, he says that sports brings other benefits, such as government backing and assistance, which boosts employment opportunities and also helps in competitive exams.

Achievements

Vihal Nahar played in a state competition in Jaipur, where he and his team won the match. Then he proceeded to Jammu for the nationals, where he did well, and was picked for the Indo-Sri Lanka international series, where he won a Gold Medal. He recently traveled to Ahmedabad for an event as captain of the CBSE squad of his school. He has also ranked second in a Rajasthan level Abacus competition.

A Bit More

Vihal says that his instructors and parents always told him that instead of playing to win, he should play to learn and start anew each day. The saying "Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts" inspires him the most. He advises other young people to spend less time on their phones and instead focus on physical activity and connecting with nature. This will provide them with self-motivation, allowing them to progress via hard effort and luck.