With Hokaito’s retirement, Jonathan hopes to take Nagaland cricket forward

Kolkata: Nagaland’s historic inclusion in the senior domestic cricket calendar this season marked the return of two prodigal sons of the soil. Hokaito Zhimomi, who had previously represented Assam in 2012-13 but had gone into coaching due to lack of playing opportunities, came out of retirement to play for his state. Also on a comeback mission was Jonathan Rongsen, who had previously played for Railways, but was made captain of Nagaland this year.
“Representing one’s own state is something everyone dreams of. So, when Nagaland came calling, it was only natural for me to return. They wanted someone who had played cricket at this level to guide the local boys, and I jumped at the opportunity,” Jonathan told TOI.

In fact, as Nagaland took its baby steps in Ranji Trophy this year, Jonathan, for the most part, was the man leading the charge for them. Despite a series of defeats — Nagaland won just two matches and lost four — Jonathon stood tall, becoming the first player from his state to score a ton and then followed it up with more centuries on the trot.

“I was in good touch and hitting the ball really well. But since I had played mostly T20s earlier, it took three or four games for me to adapt to the longer format,” he said. Jonathan was not the only one who initially struggled to make this transition — he feels the bridge was even bigger for his teammates who had not played too much cricket at this level.

“Before we made our Ranji debut, our local players had not been exposed to this level of cricket. Transitioning into the longer format is always a big challenge as it demands temperament and takes a huge toll on the body. But we slowly adapted and did well. Now we know exactly how to prepare for next year,” he said.

Recalling his formative years, Jonathon said, “When I was young, football was the only sport that youngsters played here. In 1998, our family moved to Bangalore. I used to play a lot of tennis ball cricket with my brothers there and developed a keen interest in the game. Then I was picked in the school team, scored runs and eventually got into the Karnataka Institute of Cricket. I was lucky to have been spotted by coach Irfan Sait who asked me to join his club and offered me free coaching.”

“Then I found a place in the Karnataka U-16 team and rose through the ranks gradually. My performances in the Karnataka Premier League have been very good, where I became the second player after Mayank Agarwal to score more than 1000 runs. I have been one of the few tribal cricketers to have scored runs so consistently. Hopefully, the BCCI will take note. Even though I am 32, I feel age is just a number and an India call-up is not a far-fetched dream,” he added.

The state’s debut in senior domestic cricket has sparked a revolution, with more youngsters playing the game and infrastructure being developed rapidly.

Jonathan said, “Many youngsters are taking up cricket now. Now we have 14-15 practice wickets and dedicated groundsmen working every day — something which was unthinkable earlier.”

And with Hokaito bowing out to take on a full-time coaching role now, Jonathan feels cricket in Nagaland has a bright future. “I had a great time playing alongside Hokaito this season. We have exciting youngsters coming up in the state and they are lucky to have Hokaito to guide them. Nagaland cricket is in good hands,” he said.