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.
The first episode of “Cricketgraph Youngistan” is with Suryansh Shedge which was conducted over an insta live session on 31st July 2020.
Key Highlights from the Interview:-
- His Knock of 326 runs in 2016 Giles Shield, how that knock impacted his career?
- His experience of playing alongside seniors and being the youngest player to get selected in T20 Mumbai?
- Mindset when things are not going right?
- How difficult it is to sustain your place in a team like Mumbai?
Suryansh rose to prominence with the fastest triple hundred in Giles Shield 4yrs back & since then there has been no looking back, Suryansh went on to represent Mumbai Team at U14, U16 & U19 levels while also became the youngest at the age of 16 to make a debut in T20 Mumbai.
Interviewing Suryansh is Bhupen Lalwani who made his Ranji Trophy Debut this year Vs Tamil Nadu. Bhupen has also played for Mumbai at U16 & U23 levels while he was also in the India U16 Camp.
Keep following Cricketgraph as we keep unearthing cricketing talents from different corners of the nation.
Youtube Link to Watch the Video– Click Here
Kanga League is one of the most biggest & oldest cricket tournament conducted in Mumbai. Every year, thousands of grassroot level cricketers and hundreds of club level teams/clubs get an opportunity to play an MCA approved cricket match which is a dream for many.
As Harsha Bhogle had famously said, scoring a 50 or a 60 in a Kanga is equivalent to scoring a century under normal conditions. The hostile bowling friendly wickets, rains, long grass & uneven weather conditions tests the players to the core. It is during these matches bowlers enjoy taking wickets while many batters end up improving themselves at the end of the Kanga season as they survive and score runs in difficult conditions. Such was the importance of Kanga back then, even Ranji Trophy and India level cricketers would actively take part in the tournament. Even though now the number of established cricketers taking part in this tournament has dwindled but it hardly takes away the fact that Kanga continues to be a very big tournament where players even from A to G division gets good opportunities to showcase their talent.
With lockdown this year, the tournament has not yet started & might get cancelled. Hence, we at Cricketgraph decided to talk with the players from each division to know if not playing Kanga has affected their game or not & should Kanga be scraped? Let’s hear it out from the players themselves…
Sahil Gode-Shivaji Park Gymkhana (A Div), Made his debut last year
Well playing Kanga league is a dream of many young cricketers who play in mumbai and also beyond. For me personally I had not played Kanga until the last season. I had never been given the opportunity to play even in lower divisions but then SPG gave me the most awaited debut of my career until now. Kanga league should be played as it helps all the cricketers to gain a certain experience which they can’t in any other tournament except the Kanga league. The wickets, the outfield everything is different and more challenging. I didn’t score much in my debut but just the feeling of playing the tournament at its highest level was a great feeling.
From Rudra Dhanday- Karnatak Sporting Association (A Div), Holds the record for scoring 3 Kanga League Centuries in 3 Consecutive years
Kanga league is a unique tournament, it tests your mental toughness and your competitiveness while playing on severely wet pitches and knee high grass outfields. It completely changes the dynamics of the game by making it miserable for the batsman and favors the bowlers which is a big challenge for everyone. I as a batsman enjoy these challenges as it brings the best out of me.
I miss Kanga league very much since I have had 3 Kanga league centuries in 3 consecutive years. The only positive outcome of this can be that players will take less time to adapt to the fast and skiddy pitches we will recieve during the season which can give positive outcomes to our domestic results.
From Omkar Rahate -Apollo Cricket Club, (B Div Player), scored an unbeaten 108* as a wicket keeper batsman last year in Kanga including a 21 run over!
Kanga League should not be scraped, the tournament makes us mentally strong, our technique gets tested as a batsman and whenever we fail to score runs on such difficult batting conditions, we go to the nets, work on our mistakes and come back as a better player by the end of the Kanga Season when the big tournaments begin which helps us to perform confidently in the core season. Hence, this tournament is a must for all the aspiring cricketers.
From Abhishek Pandey- Sainath Sports Club (C Div) -Took multiple 5wkt hauls last season
“By playing Kanga League i learned that hitting big runs are not important but spending your time at wicket is important as a small amount of total can also help you in winning the game and in bowling you have to be consistent. Kanga league teaches us how to play in every condition i.e if its dry how you have to play if it rains then how you have to change your plans according to the conditions and its a very good experience playing Kanga League as you get chance to play with Ranji Trophy players in upper division”
From Aamir Karatela- Bohra Cricketers (D Div)
“Yes of course not playing the Kanga League Tournament has affected a lot because it gave us a chance to showcase our talent and we can gain lot of experience from senior players. Suspension of tournament has not only let us out of grip of flow of practice but also keeping us from opportunity to represent in upper level cricket”
By Vansh Chabaria, Regent Cricket Club, E Div
“I played the tournament when I was 15yrs old and I was the youngest player in the tournament in E division Regent Cricket Club. Which other tournament gives so much opportunities to youngsters? It’s Kanga which is helping so many of us.
It’s very important to play Kanga league because it develops mental skills and also it helps us keep track with the rapid increase in competition of cricket in Bombay. If it will not be played this year, then the mental skills, mindset of future cricket will be affected a lot.
By Vishal Adagatla, Taki Team Sports Club, F Div (Last Year F Div’s Highest Wicket-taker)
“Kanga league is one of the greatest & biggest tournament in Mumbai where i made my Kanga debut at the age of 17. As a league, it gives you opportunity to show your talent. If we not played league then it will effect you mentally as well as on game when other all tournaments are knock out based in Mumbai Circuit where players do not get chances. If suppose he is 12th man in first knock out match and team loses then there is no option for such players…
Kanga league produce lots of great players for Mumbai and India as well
It should continued as it helps players to show their talent in different conditions of league as league starts in rainy and ends in winter so players can learn and take experience of such conditions and also can learn alot. I think it just needs improvement where in matches should be played for 2 days. By this MCA will be able to select players for Ranji Trophy”
By Ranvir More, Canara Vijay, (G Div)
“Especially in the lower divisions, the kanga league stretches till November, and also the tournament is not played anymore in the dampy conditions like before. Today even the players, be it domestic or international refrain from even stepping into the field in such conditions let alone play. Also the tennis crowd on the weekends makes it practically impossible to focus on the game…the fielders are playing with their lives just for sake of opportunity. I believe the Kanga league must be hosted in better conditions where players don’t have to fear injury or any incident with the tennis cricketers, also given there is shortage of space due to metro work on azad maidan. I know it is difficult to organize matches with less interference, but these conditions are not acceptable.
The game has become more like dodgeball where we are more focused on tackling the tennis cricketers rather than playing the game
The tournament i believe has lost its originality. And after looking at wasim jaffer sirs interview from your page i totally agree with the points wasim sir made”
By Sumeet Khanna- Kanga League Player and MCA Level O Coach from Payyade SC
I think in Kanga League batsman needs to have lots of patience for staying on the wicket. For opening batsman i think he needs to leave lots of balls outside off stump at the start of the innings because conditions are helping for bowlers, ball swings a lot, pitches do a lot.. Not easy to bat. Batsman needs to look the ball till the end,i feel real test for a batsman is to play to spinners because balls turn a lot, sometimes keeps low, bounces high.. Same goes for wicket keepers also.. Keeping in kanga League is a very tough job specially to spinners one needs to see the ball till the end till it reaches safely in his gloves, it’s important for a keeper to rise with the ball.
I feel batsman needs to play the ball close to his body.. Avoid driving the ball till he’s settled as there’s lots of close catching fielders around. In Kanga League i feel a batsman needs to have a good defence, middling the ball is the key while playing forward defense while playing to spinners as there’s always a possibility that the ball will pop to short leg or silly point. Hitting boundaries is not easy in kanga League because of wet outfield, long grass so it’s very important for a batsman to focus more on getting singles and twos. All these factors make you a very improved cricketer, hence Kanga is very important.
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As we can see, we got a mixed bag of reviews from the players with majority of them missing out on playing the tournament. We hope this pandemic ends as soon as possible and cricket begins in full flow at the earliest
After the huge success and appreciation from the cricket community for the Maali ko Do Taali campaign, cricketgraph is back with another campaign to support deserving & needy cricketers. This time the campaign is through “CricketGraph Auctions“, wherein used / new cricket items will be auctioned and part of the auction money will be given to these needy cricketers in form of money or goods.
The highest bidder of the auction will be featured on cricketgraph as a the,“The Goodwill Winner”.
CricketGraph Auctions will have 3 partners, The Goodwill Cricketer (TGC), is the one who decides to donate his new / used cricket goods & the beneficiary (The needy cricketer who gets benefited from the auctions and The highest bidder who wins the auction as ” The Goodwill Winner (TGW)”.
Here are the details of the first cricketgraph auctions
Part of the proceeds from this & other auctions will go towards buying a brand new pair of cricket spikes, which should motivate him!
Reserve / Base Bid Amount: Rs. 1000/-
Bid Increase Amount by: Rs.150/-
Auction End Date: 28 July 2020 Tuesday 1 PM
To join the auctions pls click on this link to join Whtsapp CG Auction Group
This whtsapp group is active only till the auction winner is announced and later gets deleted>
Pictures of the cricket helmet, pads and english willow cricket bat-
Time Stamps
0:40- Match winning six vs Rajasthan Royals to qualify for play-offs in IPL 2014
2:05- Team strategy & atmosphere in the MI Dugout during that last ball six incident
2:37- On James Faulker missing out on Yorker & bowling him on leg stump!
6:35- On his colorful celebration at Wankede like a footballer after helping MI win the game
8:32- The biggest compliment he received from the star studded Mumbai Indians Camp
10:05- On the performance of Mumbai Ranji Trophy team post 2015 as a Mumbai Team Skipper
13:55- On Mumbai Team’s stability due to increased number of change in Coaches
15:50- On losing a few matches at home ground in Ranji Trophy in last few seasons
18:30- On his 120 vs Services in 2012-13 semis of Ranji Trophy
20:55- On his experience of playing with team-mate Ajit Agarkar
23:30- On upcoming IPL 2020, will it happen or not?
25:55- Should Mumbai Team find a new keeper to relieve Aditya Tare so he can focus on his batting more?
28:26- One thing wicket-keeper should always keep in mind?
31:35- As a leader, how he manages the junior-senior barrier in the Mumbai Domestic Set-up?
The Mumbai Ranji Trophy skipper and wicket-keeper Aditya Tare gets candid with Cricketgraph as he shared his journey right from his beginning to Mumbai Ranji Trophy to hitting james faulker out of the park in IPL, Aditya happily answered to everything including Community Questions powered by Healthtrek Healthcare.