Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 9 (ANI): 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 Romario, Shepherd recalled his earliest memories of cricket when he had to improvise with whatever was available, according to a press release from the RCB.

'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.

'In the first game I played, I scored 129 and batted through the 40 overs, with no sixes. At that time, I was not a big hitter. All I knew was to find the gaps.'

As Shepherd progressed through age-group cricket, his role gradually evolved into that of a multi-dimensional player inspired by one of West Indies' modern greats.

'Whenever you listened to the radio, there was always one name you heard doing everything, batting, bowling and fielding, and that was Dwayne Bravo,' Shepherd said. 'I wanted to be like that guy.'

His breakthrough in white-ball cricket came in 2018 during the Caribbean Premier League, where his performances quickly began drawing attention.

'2018 is when people started taking my white-ball cricket seriously,' Shepherd said. 'I started bowling a lot of yorkers and hitting the ball, and commentators like Ian Bishop were saying this kid has something about him.'

One of the moments that stood out that season came when he faced his childhood inspiration.

'The first ball I faced was from Dwayne Bravo and I hit it for six ways back in the crowd,' Shepherd said. 'That was big for me because he was someone I looked up to.'

Shepherd's journey eventually brought him to the IPL and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

'When I was watching cricket growing up, RCB was always one of the teams West Indians supported because Chris Gayle was on that team,' Shepherd said.

Reflecting on his time with the franchise, Shepherd spoke about the strong environment within the dressing room.

'Everyone knows TD (Tim David) is my guy. Salt, Bethell, even VK, I did not know he was this funny,' Shepherd said with a smile. 'You see Virat Kohli on the cricket field, and he is so intense, but off the field, he is actually a very funny guy.'

He also highlighted the influence of senior players and the positive atmosphere within the squad.

'These guys make me happy, especially when you are away from home for so long,' Shepherd said. 'It is an unbelievable group of guys, both on and off the cricket field. RCB is blessed to have senior players mixed with younger players in one dressing room.'

For Shepherd, representing RCB also comes with a unique global connection with fans.

'RCB gave me a chance and the opportunity to go out there and represent one of the biggest franchises in the IPL,' he said. 'It changes the way people follow you.'

'Even when I am playing for West Indies in other parts of the world, people are still chanting 'RCB, RCB',' Shepherd added. 'When you walk out to represent RCB, you realise it is more than just a franchise. It feels like a family.' (ANI)