During this pandemic we at Cricketgraph have been fortunate enough to unearth people from various domains selflessly contributing towards the society in different capacities to fight Covid-19. One more warrior on & off the field is Dr. Ashish Dhadas who is the 1st Phlebosuite in India at Surekha Varicose Veins Clinic which offers the CLACS treatment for Spider Veins and small Varicose Veins. Dr. Ashish has been playing leather ball cricket since last 10 years & he has been doing his best to serve the society too by helping out people in various capacities during this Covid-19 crisis.
Dr. Ashish is also the 1st Surgeon from India to undergo CLaCS training at Clinica Miyake, Brazil in February 2019. Dr Dhadas is also acknowledged by the doctors fraternity for his work in varicose veins. Dr. Ashish is also a part of the Indian Medical Association “Covid Warriors” to help run Fever Clinics for KDMC.
During this pandemic, Dr. Ashish has lent his part to serve and run Fever Clinics at Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation free of cost since March’20.
Dr. Ashish shared with Cricketgraph
“In the initial days of pandemic and even now, it is essential but extremely difficult to keep the non-Covid medical and surgical services running. With help from his staff members, we have managed to do it successfully for patients in Kalyan – Dombivli area.
Dr.Ashish and his staff have been treating non-Covid emergency patients many of whom who need surgeries and other procedures. Contracting Covid infection is always a risk for healthcare workers but those true to the ethics of their profession are doing it keeping the greater good in mind. Apart from that, Dr. Ashish has tried creating awareness videos on social media platforms to allay the fears of non-covid patients. Dr. Ashish further also donated PPE kits worth Rs.10,000/- to Resident Medical Doctors at BMC Hospital.
Talking about Dr.Ashish makes it all the more special because he is also an avid cricketer who has been playing leather ball cricket since last 10 years. Dr.Ashish plays for International Federation of Cricketing Rotarians (IFCR) while he also plays in the Indian Medical Association Cricket League. Apart from that Ashish is one of the founding members of Friends Cricket Club, Dombivli which provides a platform for cricket loving amateurs and professional players in Thane and Mumbai. In 2016, Ashish was adjudged “Player of the Series” in IFCR MUMBAI DISTRICT T20 TOURNAMENT.
The highlight of Ashish’s cricket journey is certainly his score of 58 ball 158* in Indian Medical Association Inter-district tournament in a 15 over game in 2017 – a record still unbeaten in the league. Dr. Ashish has won many trophies as “Best Batsman” in various other cricket tournaments & he continues to be a cricket fanatic.
Ashish’s love for the game can be gauged by the fact that he has bowling machine installed at his home where he and members from his club do net practice in their free time. Cricketgraph acknowledges & appreciates such heroes who not only follow their favorite sport of cricket with full passion but also selflessly contribute for the society using their knowledge and expertise amidst this crisis situation.
Interviewing Aanchal Valanju who has represented Mumbai U16, U19 & U23. Anchal is fondly called the Sehwag of Mumbai Women’s Cricket for her aggressive batting style.
Aanchal Valanju began her journey playing school cricket where she had scored the fastest hundreds in all 3 years of MSSA U16 Manoromabai Apte Tournament. It was her daredevilry approach which helped her represent Mumbai Team. However, injuries did play a spoilsport in her promising career but she is all prepped for the upcoming season where she aims to represent the senior side of Mumbai.
Interviewing Aanchal Valanju is Mumbai Ranji Trophy player & Cricketgraph Host Bhupen Lalwani who has asked her a range of questions related to her cricketing journey.
Cricketgraph envisages on bringing out new cricketing talents every now and then & today we are going to talk about a young left arm seamer Aaron Benjamin who has went on to represent UAE in the U19 Team. Aaron is also an ECB Champion (ECB-Emirates Cricket Board U19) and the youngest ambassador of brand Myprotein AE.
Having a conversation with Aaron, we wanted to know how it all started and for him it was Sri Lanka Team which turned out to be his inspiration since his early days. Aaron who began playing cricket at the age of 7 idolized Lasith Malinga and that’s where the kick of fast bowling hit him. His love for Malinga and Sri Lanka Cricket is quite evident from the fact that Aaron is originally from Sri Lanka and even till date he is open to play first class cricket in Sri Lanka if he ever gets an opportunity. Aaron trains under the mentorship of Coach Aruna Banda while he also received coaching from the Sri Lankan Pace Legend Chaminda Vaas for a brief stint.
It was in 2015 when Aaron was around 15 yrs old things started to change realtime for him in cricket. In 2015, Aaron moved to UAE as his father got a work opportunity there which also opened doors for him in UAE Cricket. Aaron started playing Club Cricket in UAE and till date he is the only fast bowler to take 48 wkts in 3 seasons in UAE U19 leagues. It was his promising display of performances which ensured a UAE National Team call up in 2019 where he fulfilled his dream of playing International Cricket.
However, it wasn’t easy for him, he had his own shares of struggles related to fitness. Aaron shared “Fitness was a big struggle but I overcame it over the time because of hard work and i have one of the best YO-YO test scores in the UAE U19 circuit”
Aaron’s biggest moment was certainly the 2019 Asia Cup where he missed out on a hat trick on his homeground. On his International debut vs India, he came up with crucial blows dismissing both the captain and vice captain of the India U19 team (Pawan Shah & Prabsimran Singh respectively)
Wishing the Sri Lankan origin speedster a great career ahead as he keeps on conquering various accolades in Domestic & International cricket.
DOB-
20.09.2000
Clubs Aaron has played for so far-
- Northside School,
- Broadhurst School, Cubs Cricket Academy,
- Alexandria Cricket Academy,
- Desert Cubs Cricket Academy,
- ICC Academy,
- Sanath Jayasuriya Cricket Academy,
- UAE U19
- Botswana U15.
Coaches
- Aruna Banda (Primary)
- Had a brief stint with Chaminda Vaas
Highest Teams & Tournaments represented-
- UAE U19, Asia Cup 2019
Best Performances-
- Local-6/12 Northside Vs Whitestone College,
- International– 2/11, UAE vs Iran, taking wickets of India U19 captain & Vice Captain in U19 Asia Cup’19
For those who pursue cricket as their profession, they treat this sport as their life, the amount of attachment, emotions & love which a player develops for this game becomes paramount. For a normal person, a bat and ball would just be a “cricket product” but for a professional aspiring cricketer, the bat and ball becomes their life partners and tools for life, it’s their weapon to succeed and survive in this sport.
And when you are at your peak cricketing age between 18 to 24, it’s the most difficult and heart wrenching decision as a cricketer to give up on the sport and stop playing. 19yr old Darshan Negalur from Karantaka is one such boy who took the brave decision of not pursuing cricket as a cricketer but smartly made a move as a sidearm specialist. This decision helped him stay “involved in the game” despite being “not in the game”
Darshan started his cricket career at the age of 12 in Hubli Cricket Academy, from there on he went on to represent at Zone Level while he also played 1st and 2nd Division cricket for HCA Club. However, Darshan knew that competition being intense, the call of the time would be to make a creative jump while at the same time stay connected to cricket.
This is how the story goes….Darshan speaking with Cricketgraph shared-
“Talking about my sidearm profession, when I used to play professional cricket me and my friends used to practice so that he would bowl sidearm to me & in return I used to bowl sidearm to him. Whenever we would do such practice, my friend would often tell me that I am giving seriously quick throwdowns & at that time I had no idea about making it big as a sidearm specialist”
“I was bowling regularly in my club and once I had a chance to bowl in India A nets where I got recognized by none other than Rahul Dravid sir. After that he came to me & asked about my information. I told him that i was a BBA graduate KSCA level O coach. Dravid sir was impressed & told me that we need people like you in NCA & bowling sidearm is a skill & you bowl it very quick”
“After 1 month, i recieved a call from NCA that I was appointed as a throwdown specialist for a commonwealth camp where we had players from different countries who took part in it. After that camp, i was with India team camp for 12 days where i got chance to bowl to Indian players like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shivam Dube, Jadeja, Wridmhan Saha amongst others. Overall it was a great experience being part of National Cricket Academy where in i learnt many things which has helped me a lot now. I have also cleared my level O Coaching Exam and waiting for the results. If my results are cleared then I will be selected for BCCI level “A” exam from KSCA”
The story of Young Darshan who is also the sole earner of his family proves that nothing is impossible and if you manage to think a little out of the box and seize the opportunity at the right time, there is a sea of opportunities waiting for you. From being a Division Cricketer to bowling to Indian Cricketers in the NCA nets and becoming a Level O Coach, Darshan’s case study is certainly an inspiration for many young aspiring cricketers.
Coronavirus has made all of us realize the importance of unity, humanity and harmony, many people during this pandemic have selflessly risked their own lives to bring a positive change in this stress driven society. One of those examples of brave humans who has done a noble job for the society is Dr. Bhavil Acharya. Dr. Bhavil since the time lockdown was announced, he started conducting Covid Emegency services voluntarily for BMC.
Speaking to Cricketgraph, we got to know Bhavil has so far donated around 6000 litres of hand sanitizers to the migrant labours. He even personally visited the labour camp areas to spread awareness and information about this pandemic to the labours who had no idea about the do’s and don’t’s during this pandemic. Apart from that, Bhavil has tested over 15,000 people in the labour camp areas since the last few months, while he has also voluntarily conductied ICMR registered testing.
Dr. Bhavil shared with Cricketgraph “I have bought PPE kits from my own pocket and serving the BMC voluntarily, even the hand sanitizers which were donated to migrant labors is bought through my own savings. Apart from that I have also sanitized a large number of areas in Santa Cruz, approximately 25-30 societies where I have personally conducted sanitization as well as shared awareness about coronavirus”
When you hear such stories, the faith in humanity gets restored & covering Bhavil becomes all the more relevant because he is also an avid cricketer who plays club & corporate level cricket. Bhavil who is an MCA registered player has played Kanga League representing Muslim United and Paramount Cricket Club.
Bhavil also plays corporate cricket representing Andheri Team in Shri Barku G Patil T20 League amongst other tournaments. In 2003, Bhavil was declared “Man of the Series” in All India Inter Medical Cup while in 2015 he was declared the “best batsman” in Mumbai Cricket Challenge Tournament where he scored the highest runs. In 2017, Bhavil received “man of the match” award in MCC finals where he received Harley Davidson from the hands of Sachin Tendulkar while his team won Prize of Rs 9 lakhs as the tournament winners under his captaincy.
Dr. Bhavil also shared that ” If i would’nt have been a doctor, i would have been a full time Cricketer” and we can certainly agree looking at his love for the game. Cricketgraph salutes such selfess humans like Dr.Bhavil who are truly champions on and off the cricket field.
The 2nd episode of “Cricketgraph Youngistan” is with Ayush Jethwa who has represented as well as lead the Mumbai side at U14 & 16 levels.
Key Highlights of the interview-
- Leading the Mumbai Team to Vijay Merchant Trophy & what it takes as a skipper?
- His knock of 232 in Harris Shield & how it impacted his game?
- Mindset required to play professional cricket?
Under his captainship, Mumbai won the Vijay Merchant Trophy last year. Ayush has scored good amount of runs at school level and some of his memorable performances include a knock of 232 runs alongwith 6 wkts in a Harris Shield match. Since the time Ayush began playing cricket, he has around 31 tons which includes 19 tons in MCA tournaments alongwith 300+ wickets.
Interviewing Ayush Jethwa is Bhupen Lalwani who made his Ranji Trophy Debut for Mumbai this year. Bhupen has also been part of the India U16 Camp while he has played for Mumbai at U19 & U23 Levels.
Do checkout this exciting interview! Keep supporting Cricketgraph as we keep unearthing cricketing talents from different corners of the nation.
“The Cricket Academy”, in noida which began its operations from 2018 has witnessed a healthy growth with many professional and state level cricketers practicing at this academy. This place has also been helpful for many professional players in getting overseas contracts and cricket tours. Apart from that, the academy conducts various practice matches and trials to ensure every player from their academy gets adequate opportunities.
The academy is run by two cricket loving personalities namely Aakash Choudhary and Mayank Bareja. Aakash (Head Coach) is an ICC Certified Cricket Coach who has earlier represented Rajasthan State Team. Aakash also played for North Shore CC in New Zealand between 2014-17. On the other hand, their admin Mayank Bareja holds masters degree in Applied Management and he has been actively involved in the field of sports since 2010.
In one of the Academy’s recent initiative, they have launched a Scholarship Program where in 2 selected bowlers will get free coaching and training facilities.
Pointers:
- The last date for applying is 1st September, 2020
- Two bowlers will be selected (Spinners & Pacers all welcome)
- Interested players should DM on the official instagram handle @aliensportsmanagement
- Bowlers need to come to the academy to give trials.
- Only coaching & training facilities will be provided free of cost.
- Accommodation has to be arranged by the player himself.
- You can also apply by filling out this form- https://www.aliensportsmanagement.com/cricket
- Academy Address– Cricket Excellence Sports Center, near Gaur Square, Noida Phase II, Uttar Pradesh- 201301
Pictures of the Academy:
One of the most loved and Popular coaches of Mumbai Cricket, Dinesh Lad gets candid with Cricketgraph anchor Jalal Shaikh. This interview was a trip down the lone exploring all the memories with Dinesh Lad right from his early days under Coach Ramakant Achrekar to him becoming a Coach who gave India some of the finest cricketing talents.
Don’t miss out on this exciting interview which will be a treat for all the Cricket lovers.
1:10– How he started playing Cricket?
4:02-Role of Ramakant Achrekar sir in Dinesh Lad’s early days as a cricketer..
5:55– The Railways team of 80’s
6:54– Discipline Levels in the Railways Team of 80’s
9:15– How Dinesh Lad forayed into Coaching?
13:30– How he spotted ROHIT SHARMA?
18:30– How Rohit Sharma progressed through his teens?
23:30– How Rohit Sharma got selected into the Mumbai Team?
25:40– How Rohit Sharma got selected in India U19 Team & went on to progress…
28:43– Dinesh Lad’s feelings when he came to know about Rohit’s selection in the Sr. India Team
31:00– How Dinesh Lad spotted Shardul Thakur, Atif Attarwala, Harmeet Singh?
To Watch Part 2- Click Here
This pandemic has shaken up each and everyone of us. It has affected each and everyone to some extent but even amidst such crisis there are courageous people working selflessly to fight against Covid-19 pandemic. The policemen, doctors, nurses, waste management staff & people in various other capacities have spent relentless hours of their life to save the people and one of them is Dr.Ajit Kalwar who is a frontline doctor at Kasturba Hospital working hard on Corona affected patients.
Not many know that Dr. Ajit Kalwar is also a budding cricketer who plays from Warrior Cricket Club. His team mates at Warriors CC believe Ajit apart from being doctor to everyone is also a good friend and a player.
Warriors Cricket Club President Shailesh Nakashe & skipper Rohit Shirgaonkar on behalf of Warriors CC shared with Cricketgraph “We are proud to know that Ajit is taking care of all the patients and offering his services at Kasturba Hospital since the time this pandemic has struck. Ajit is a true Warrior, helping others is the true humanity and Ajit is doing it selflessly. May he attain success in whatever he aspires’
Warriors Cricket Club as a small token of appreciation decided to gift Ajit a complete cricket bag for the upcoming season for doing such an amazing job.
Also a big thank you to all the doctors like Ajit who are working day in and out to save the patients from this pandemic. May this rough patch from our lives come to an end soon and we start holding the willow again..!
Change of pace is an essential part of fast bowling these days. Even more with the dominance of t-20 cricket.
Here we look at the pictures of how to bowl two slower balls,although there are many more and we will discuss them in later posts.
1. Thumb off the ball- This type of variation is used more in bowling the slower bouncer by fast bowlers.The fast bowler runs with the normal grip and just as he is about to deliver the ball,takes the thumb off the ball.
2. Ball held in the back of the palm and index finger off the ball-Making the ball touch with the palm,reduces the pace of the ball considerably.
Key 🔑 points with slower balls:
1. Practice them again and again,once you are confident then only bowl it in a match.
2. The arm speed has to remain the same while bowling the slower balls,otherwise the batsman will pick it up.
3. Dont overdo the slower balls,keep them as a surprise weapon for the batsman.
