RP World

It was in 1990 that Shiv Pratap moved with his family to Raebareli. "Since we come from such a background, we hardly complain about anything,'' he says. His wife Girija Devi agrees. ''All we want is the success of our children."

Living in a two-room house with his wife and three children, Shiv Pratap made sure his children didn't lack anything. Recognizing his son RudraPratap Singh's keen interest in cricket, Shiv sent him to Guru Govind Singh Sports College, Lucknow, in 2000. ''It was a risk to send him to a sports college. I knew little about cricket before he started playing,'' says the father. Shiv's youngest daughter is Akansha who studies in the Government Girls Inter College in Raebareli - the other daughter Deepa studies at a private dental college in Lucknow.

RP Singh first came into contention during the under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004, when he took eight wickets for a very impressive average of 24.75. He later performed consistently in the Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh and impressive performances saw him earn a place in the ODI side in 2005.
-Indian Express.