Vidarbha all-rounder Aditya Sarwate has had an impressive Ranji season so far, with 50 wickets and 305 runs under his belt, but his professional rise hides a prolonged personal struggle.

His father Anand, 59, a bank employee who also represented Nagpur University in cricket, was paralysed after a road accident in Panvel 25 years ago, when Sarwate was just three. His mother Anushree, also a banker, has been his pillar of strength ever since. "I give a lot of credit to my mother. She took care of all my needs as well as attended to my father, who is wheelchair-bound. Whatever I am today, is because of my mother," said Sarwate, who is living his father's dream.