During one of those thankless night shifts, he bumped into a man donning a cricket jumper. Raval struck up a conversation with the well-mannered stranger. Turned out he was a respected cricket coach. Raval informed him that he was in Auckland to "check things out" and that his family would join him soon.
He then requested the man to help his 16-year-old son get into a "school with a proper cricket culture". Kit Perera agreed. A few months later, Raval's family flew in. It was the start of a new life.
That wide-eyed 16-year-old is now 26. His name is Jeet Raval. He represents Auckland in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand's premier domestic competition, equivalent to our Ranji Trophy. A left-handed opener, he has scored more than 3,500 runs in 54 first-class matches with a top score of 256.
INNLIVE caught up with Jeet on the sidelines of the India-Zimbabwe game at Eden Park — his home ground — on Saturday. Sporting one of those bright orange tees and hoping to "CATCH A MILLION", he was happy to watch the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja play after so many years.
"The name's Raaaval, not Ravaaal," he clarifies. "You know, like Paresh Rawal. But it's a 'V', not 'W'," he explains. "You know I represented Gujarat at the Under-15 and Under-17 levels. I remember playing with Rahane, who is from Mumbai, and Jadeja, who is from Saurashtra. I also played with Ishant Sharma, Piyush Chawla. Parthiv Patel is a good friend. He inspired me to work hard. The guy played for India at 16. So, yeah, it's good to see the Indian players in action on my home ground. I am still in touch with the guys in Gujarat. Manpreet Juneja, Ishwar Chaudhary, Priyank Panchal…," Jeet says in a distinctive Kiwi twang.
Things were not so cool back then, but like anyone who "learns to swim after falling into a well", Jeet worked hard. "You know how it is in Ahmedabad. Back then, not many people could speak English that well. I had a tough time adjusting to the curriculum here. I used to be clueless in the class. But things changed after a lot of my mates offered to help," Jeet recalls.
Cricket was both his passion and escape. The presence of Perera, who ran the show at Suburbs New Lynn Cricket Club, helped. As one thing led to another, Jeet broke into the New Zealand Under-19 team. There, he was mentored by the man who inspired a generation of cricketers of Indian origin. Dipak Patel, of the 1992 World Cup fame, helped Jeet in his journey. Patel, who now coaches Papua New Guinea, is "always there" for Jeet.
Cricket is nowhere close to being the No. 1 sport in this country. But Jeet knows that a successful career with the Black Caps will secure his future. "Look, I was not keen on moving to New Zealand in the first place. But then I realised that I would get more opportunities here. And I am convinced that migrating to New Zealand was the right decision. My parents have sacrificed a lot for me and I want to make them proud by playing international cricket," Jeet says.
Truth is New Zealand haven't had a consistent opening batsman in Test cricket since Mark Richardson in the 2000s. And Jeet knows he could be in with a chance to challenge the likes of Tom Latham, Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton, who tops the batting charts this season.
"That's my goal," Jeet says. "That's where the opportunities are, at the top of the order. We have three more games to go this season. I want to score a couple of 100s and 150s and I know the rest will take care of itself. Last year, I was part of the winter squad. And that means the selectors are taking me seriously. The scouts attend every game. And they relay the information to the selectors. If you do well, the word spreads," he explains.
Jeet would love to tour India with the Black Caps. But his immediate goal is to break into the Test squad for the tour of England in June. "That would be great. I hope to be there. But I need some big runs under my belt," Jeet says.
Like many desi folks settled here, Jeet is happy that both his countries are doing well in the World Cup. So what happens if India bump into the Kiwis at some stage of the tournament? "Tell you what, that's a hard one," he chuckles. "My heart is with India, but my mind is with the Black Caps. That's because I want to play for that team," he says as a matter of fact. Fair enough.
Raval, who once made three consecutive hundreds for Auckland last season, also counts former Karnataka journeyman Barrington Rowland among his well-wishers. The 35-year-old Rowland, who shared the dressing room with Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, lives in New Zealand. "Barry has been a big mentor. He is a genuine, honest person who has helped me a lot. So has Bob Carter, the former batting coach of New Zealand. He is now the high-performance manager of New Zealand Cricket," Jeet reveals. In other words, he is in safe hands.
Jeet's family is happier than ever before. Raval Sr runs a diary shop not far from Eden Park. Jeet's mother is also well settled. And his younger sister has completed her studies. A few good knocks, and Jeet could well realise his long-cherished dream of playing Test cricket. So what if it's for New Zealand?
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