Long before he played an important role in Tripura’s Super Over win in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Karnataka in Ahmedabad on Monday, Manisankar Murasingh learned cricket in a place where the sport barely existed.

His village, Murasingh para — 75 km from Agartala — had no sight of state cricket, limited television broadcasts, not even the distant hum of stadium crowds. What it did have was a dusty open ground where local men played tennis-ball matches, and a father, a physical instructor, who was keen on giving his son a chance to play a sport he himself loved.

“I didn’t watch a lot of Tripura cricket. There were hardly any big names to follow. I grew up watching cricket on television. My father used to take me to tennis-ball matches in the village, and that’s where

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