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

Mumbai, Dec 27: India-born cricketer Pushkar Sharma is looking forward to doing well for Kenya in order to compete with top-flight teams in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, which is scheduled to be held in the USA and West Indies.

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.