MUMBAI, Nov. 14 -- Chinmay Sutar will be playing at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. He will be wearing the Mizoram jersey, in the opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Mizoram is in the Elite Division of the T20 tournament and in Plate group in red ball cricket. And yet, it would not have looked out of place if Chinmay was playing in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Mumbai T20 side. At the same Wankhede Stadium a few months ago, he was the top scorer in the semi-final and final of the T20 Mumbai League. Last season, he was the city T20 league's top run-getter. At times, it's not just about how good you are. Many factors have to fall in place for you to have a smooth ride into the highest level. Success stories of Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal from Mumbai's maidans to international arena get highlighted, but there are countless cricketers with stories of struggle who chart long, tough journeys in pursuit of their cricket dreams. Like Chinmay. He is 29 now. His life is spent hitting countless cricket balls and honing his skill as a batter. Before him, his father, Rajesh, did the same after falling in love with the game thanks to his father, Janardhan. Hailing from Chinchani, a village on the Mumbai-Gujarat border, three generations of Sutars have devoted their lives to the game. "Players from Mumbai, including the late Ramakant Achrekar and Ramnath Parkar, came to play for the village side. That was the beginning of our cricket journey," recalled Rajesh. On his one-day debut for Mumbai, Rajesh hit back-to-back hundreds in the Ranji One-Day West Zone League 1996/97. In the Mumbai versus Australia game in 1998 at the Brabourne Stadium, famous for Sachin Tendulkar's first double hundred in first-class cricket, Rajesh had smashed Shane Warne for five fours during a 100-plus partnership with Tendulkar. This season, the family is basking in the glory of Chinmay scoring 400* for Mizoram versus Nagaland in Ranji Trophy, as only the second batter in Ranji's 92-year history to hit a first-class quadruple century. When Chinmay played for the India Emerging team in the Asian Cricket Council's Emerging Cup in 2019, it felt like a smooth ride to his dream of playing at the highest level. The Covid-19 pandemic halted it. When normalcy returned after two-and-a-half years, he lost important years at a crucial stage of his career. It soon became a struggle for him to get back in contention for the Mumbai team and find a consistent place in the playing XI. With time running out, the Sutars had to make the decision to find a platform to show his potential. Finally, they moved to Mizoram as Chinmay turned 29. "Last season, he was the T20 Mumbai league's highest run-getter," said Rajesh. "He had hopes they would play him in the T20 team. He was there in the 15 but didn't get to play in the XI." Every cricketer in India also carries an IPL dream. Doing well in your association's T20 league is the best way to get noticed. Chinmay has done that. Starting from Saturday, the SMAT gives him another opportunity. "The IPL is also my dream," said Chinmay. "The last two editions (of T20 Mumbai league), I did well. I am going for (IPL) trials for the last 3-4 years, I get calls from 2-3 teams," he said. "The reason to go to Mizoram was that I will get both red ball and white ball (game time), which will increase my chances of playing the IPL as well." With the record 400 under his belt, the spotlight will be on him in their match against Jharkhand on Saturday. Does he feel that all his hardwork has been compensated adequately? "I don't think like that," said Chinmay. "I am looking at it as a (fresh) start. I have a lot to do from here. Obviously, record hua toh there's a possibility of some focus being on me and there will be some expectations. For me, what will happen in future will be the most important." The Sutars, though, are not bitter. Ups and downs are part of the journey, believes Rajesh. "When I was in the middle of a purple patch, with back-to-back hundreds and playing for West Zone in the Deodhar Trophy, I fractured my foot," said the father. "What I told him (Chinmay) was that he has to stay fit. He also didn't quit, and got the reward for it. It is the beginning and not the end. Age is not a factor. If you are fit, you can play any time. Let's see what happens in the future."...