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Romario Shepherd, RCB all-rounder from Linden, Guyana, shared his journey from playing barefoot with improvised gear to becoming a white-ball standout inspired by Dwayne Bravo. Breaking through in the 2018 CPL, he now thrives in the IPL, praising RCB’s supportive dressing room, senior players’ guidance, and the global fan connection that makes the franchise feel like family.

Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru all-rounder Romario Shepherd reflected on his journey from growing up in Linden, Guyana, to representing one of the biggest franchises in the IPL, while also speaking about his early cricketing days, inspiration from Dwayne Bravo, his breakthrough in white-ball cricket, and life inside the RCB dressing room.

Named after football legend Romário, Shepherd recalled his earliest memories of cricket when he had to improvise with whatever was available.

“I used to play cricket in a small opening in my yard. Sometimes we made the ball with wood or used coconut branches to make a bat,” he recalled. “Whenever the ball hit your shin, there were no pads because we were barefoot, so you had to defend your foot.”

His journey into organised cricket began during his school years. Notably, he was not always the destructive six-hitter he is known as today.