Nepali leg spinner Sandeep Lamichhane termed his debut Indian Premier League (IPL) outing as an unforgettable journey as the new poster boy of the country returned from India on Tuesday.

Lamichhane played for Delhi Daredevils in the cash-rich IPL and despite getting chances in the last three matches, the 17-year spinner took the world cricket by storm with a maturity that anyone hardly had expected. Lamichhane took five wickets and bowled a total of 12 overs returning with an economy of 6.83. Among his victims included world cricket’s big names Suresh Raina of India and Kieron Pollard.

Three years after he was introduced to Nepali cricket, Lamichhane has now become a household name in Nepal but the teenaged cricketer wanted to remain grounded. “It was an unforgettable journey for me in the IPL. It was a good learning curve and I learnt a lot through it,” said Lamichhane, who is the only fifth bowler in the ICC U-19 World Cup history to take a hat-trick, which he achieved against Ireland in Bangladesh two years ago.

“I was given a great opportunity to put Nepal in the global map and I think I made the most out of it. There are lot of players in Nepal who deserve bigger platform and it would really be wonderful if I can see all Nepali cricketers playing in the IPL,” he added.

Lamichhane was particularly lauded for the maturity he showed against cricket’s current best batsmen, Indian captain Virat Kohli and South African AB de Villiers. He was expected to wilt under pressure but bowled cunningly not allowing both the batsmen to play freely. When asked about his feeling playing against the best batsmen in world cricket, he said: “They are the big figures in world cricket. And if I can play against them then I also have something in myself. So I didn’t underrate myself.”

Lamichhane probably went through the longest wait of his career after he spent time in the dugout for 11 consecutive matches that Daredevils played in the IPL. The opportunity finally came for him against Birat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore after Daredevils were knocked out from the playoff contention.

But Lamichhane knew he had to make a long wait before making debut. “It was obvious that it would be hard for me to get inside the playing XI in the beginning because there were other established names who had a haul of experience. I am glad that I got to prove myself in the matches that I played,” said Lamichhane who wanted to see Nepal making the most of this recognition.

“We now have to focus on making a strong domestic structure, make the most of the ODI status and the recognition that I managed to bring in to Nepal while playing in the IPL. There are senior and existing players who are better than me as well and cricket’s stakeholders now need to think of everyone, even the upcoming youngsters,” the youngster said.

Lamichhane’s IPL stint was boosted by a place in the ICC World XI squad which will face the West Indies in a charity Twenty20 International to be played at the Lord’s cricket ground in London on May 31. “This is another big opportunity for me. If I get to sneak inside the playing XI for that match, I would stay focused on making my country proud once again at the Lord’s,”

he added.