Eighteen Years of Dreams: Anju Gurung
My First Coach, My Mentor Still
The room fell silent as Anju Gurung’s name was announced. The new captain of the Bhutan Women’s Cricket Team. Applause thundered around her, but inside, the world had slowed to a heartbeat.
Eighteen years of memories came rushing back, the little girl who first held a cricket bat at thirteen, the dusty school grounds where cricket was more dream than reality, the struggles, the victories, the tears, the laughter, the nights spent practicing in silence. Her chest tightened, and her eyes filled. And in that moment, one person filled her heart more than anyone else: Danny—Damber S Gurung—my first coach and my mentor still; Damber S Gurung, who is the current CEO of Bhutan Cricket, and famously called by everyone Danny.
This feature is exclusively written and contributed by Victor Gurung.
It all began at Gelephu Lower Secondary School. Cricket was new, mysterious, almost magical. Women’s cricket in Bhutan barely existed, and the path ahead was uncertain. But Danny saw something in her that she did not yet see in herself, a spark, a thirst to learn, a quiet determination. He nurtured it patiently, guiding her hand on the bat, teaching her discipline, consistency, and courage.
During those years, when Anju moved to Thimphu, she stayed with Danny and his family. It was the first time she could receive constant coaching while continuing her studies, and it became a home away from home. When her own parents hesitated, unsure whether cricket was a path she could pursue, Danny reassured them: “She is blessed and special. Don’t worry. She will study. She will play. And she will shine.” That faith gave her roots and wings. For the first time, she could chase her dreams without fear, knowing that someone truly believed in her and that belief became the foundation of everything she would achieve.
Under his guidance, she learned more than cricket. She learned what it means to care for talent, to nurture it, to be patient and consistent. She learned that developing a player is about building a healthy, holistic relationship and about understanding their fears, their dreams, their potential and giving them the space to grow.
Grassroots programs, she realized later, were not just exercises or drills, they were lifelines for dreams yet unseen, seeds that could bloom if tended with care.
At sixteen, she made her debut in Bhutan’s first Women’s Cricket Team against Qatar at the ACC Women’s Twenty20 Championship in 2009. The roar of the crowd, the smell of the pitch, the sound of the ball hitting the bat, it all felt enormous, yet intimately familiar. In 2010, her team reached its first international final at the ACC U‑19 Women’s Championship in Singapore.
They lost to Nepal, but it was a triumph in its own right. Bhutanese women’s cricket had arrived. And Danny had been there every step of the way, guiding, believing, shaping.
Years later, she traveled, competed, and learned more than she ever imagined. She played in the FairBreak Invitational T20 tournaments in 2022 and 2023, sharing the field with global stars. Through every victory, every defeat, every moment of doubt or glory, the lessons from Danny, my first coach and my mentor still, remained her compass: discipline, resilience, courage, belief.
Yesterday, when she wore the captain’s armband, all of it, every early morning, every tired night, every piece of guidance, settled on her shoulders. She whispered a quiet, trembling “Thank you,” carrying eighteen years of gratitude, respect, and love in that one word.
Her story is not hers alone. It belongs to every child whose talent waits quietly in a schoolyard, every dream that begins at the grassroots, and every coach who chooses to see possibility where others see uncertainty. It is a reminder that talent does not bloom by chance—it blooms when it is cared for, guided, and believed in. When mentorship is patient, when relationships are healthy and human, and when dreams are protected long enough to grow strong.
Cricket gave her discipline. Danny gave her belief. And belief, when given at the right moment, can change the direction of a life. Together, they built not just a cricketer, but a legacy—one that proves what is possible when we nurture young talent with responsibility, compassion, and faith.
And somewhere, quietly, Danny smiled. Because the girl he believed in at thirteen had become a captain. A leader. A role model. And a living reminder to the world that when we invest in grassroots, when we stand beside young dreamers and refuse to let them fall, they don’t just risethey light the way for generations to follow.
