The Shubham Anand Story So Far

[Will3 465]

There are  stories that simply must be told. This is one of those stories. It is a story of how a kid from India fully dedicated to cricket became a leading prospect in the S89 draft in a league for a sport he hadn't even tried until afterthe age of 10. It is a story of what happens when unexpected chance encounters, the right people, and hard work come togther to result in an impossible dream potentially becoming reality. This is the story of Shubham Anand and his continuing path to the VHL.

 

On August 16, 2004 Shubham Anand was born to loving parents in the state of Haryana, India, just north of the capital, New Delhi. His father was a semi-pro cricket player who played on teams all over the subcontinent. His mother worked finance for a major bank in New Delhi. She also played tennis when she was in college. Young Shubham would follow his father wherever he bounce along in his career until his retirement around 2012 after an injury.

 

During his school years, Shubham was encouraged to experiment with many different sports. He was gifted athletically and because of his family's wealth, he would excel in every sport he played while playing for the best school in India. He was as skilled a scorer as a foward in both soccer and field hockey as he was a student off the field. He could have become a professional in any of those sportsor in anything else if he choose to. But of all the sports he played and everything he did, he loved cricket the most. He was a great batter and fielder and was decent on the pitch. His heart was fully set to follow his father's footsteps as a professional cricket player until a chance encounter in New Delhi would change his entire life.

 

Shubham was playing in the street with his friends like any 11 year old kid. When Shubham and his friends ended up wondering into a large  crowd surrounding a new building. A foreigner began to speak  in English to the crowd. His name was William Grover and he spoke with great enthusiasm about a sport called ice hockey and showed great joy in being able to bring the sport to India and someday start an amateur league from this new arena. Shubham was fascinated by this foreigner's sport. He never seen enough ice to be a playing surface before and the way he described this sparked the imagination. When Will ask for people to sign up for skating lessons, Shubham would sign up. Turns out, this was not Will's first encounter with a member of the Anand family as Shubham's mother was the banker who was helping Will fund this new endeavor. On his first practice on the ice, Shubham fell in love with the game and the sense of speed on the ice. While Shubham's mother was fully supported of this change into a new sport, his father still insisted on Shubham becoming a pro cricket player. He would be a little bitter about it but he would eventually come around and support his son fully during the AIHLI days and to this day.

 

After three years of practices and pickup games, Shubham would be apart of the first season of Will's vision come to life, the Amateur Ice Hockey League of India or AIHLI. During the three years, an special idea entered into Shubham's head with nothing to show for it yet. Playing for the New Delhi Nilgai he would emerge as a star player, earning the attention of Will. Shubham would come to view Will as a second father and grew to be close to him. As Will always spoke of his time in the VHL with great fondness, this would shape Shubham's new dream of joining the VHL someday. Will would help train Shubham and offer advice to the burgeoning prospect to help make this dream a reality. By the time Shubham left the AIHL after three years of league play, he was the offical leading goal scorer, a two time league MVP, a playoff MVP and a Gandhi cup championship against the rival Mumbai Monsoons. He put his name foward for the VHLM at the start of S88 and chose to play his first season for the San Diego Marlins for both the ice time and that city fit.

 

That is the story of Shubham Anand as it stands today. But this story is so far from over. He has so much work and effort  for The Marlins and has done fantastic so far. But there much more work to be done, especially after being drafted. He is great player with the support of friends, family, coaches and teammates in two worlds. This story is far from over and if this impossible dream does indeed become reality is up to Shubham now.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Will3