Often looked upon as a step sibling of men’s cricket the women’s cricket in India is far from being popular. Reaching the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup in 2017 did a world of good to the women’s cricket in general, as people of the country finally acknowledged that the women work equally hard as their male counterparts and can be equally successful if given sufficient opportunities. There is seldom any doubt that not enough girls are encouraged to take up the gentleman’s game, which is probably the reason for women’s cricket not being famous. It is like a chicken and egg story. Nobody knows what came first. In terms of women’s cricket, one does not know whether the women’s game is not much popular because not many play the sport, or because not many girls play the sport, the game is not popular.
Keeping this in mind, Mr.Yadav, a cricket enthusiast and a full time working professional contemplated to do something for women’s cricket in India. He started by covering women’s cricket news and stories so that the women’s cricket followers and cricket fans in general are aware of the happenings. As a part of the Global Cricket Community, he got the opportunity to interview cricketers from 105 countries. In this process, he realized that women’s cricket has a huge potential. In countries like USA, Argentina, Canada, and Brazil, women’s cricket is more popular than the men’s cricket.
After garnering tremendous success in this space, Mr. Yadav decided to start Female Cricket Academy in Mumbai. This Academy is meant exclusively for female cricketers and currently houses 40 players. In no time, Mr.Yadav’s venture is gaining popularity which is evident from the fact that his Facebook page has more than 38000 likes, Twitter handle has over 2000 followers, and Instagram has a whopping 78000+ followers.
Despite being a working professional, Mr.Yadav devotes his weekends to the Female Cricket Academy. Such an Academy is just the start of something big. Cultivating quality women cricketers is the main objective of Mr. Yadav’s initiative. With Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur being selected to play international T20 leagues, the future for women’s cricket looks bright and beautiful. The day is not too far when we have our very own Women’s IPL in this country, where cricket is a religion and cricketers are Gods. It’s time that we worship the Goddesses as well.
Mr.Yadav’s Female cricket academy currently operates out of Shivaji Park, Mumbai and is keen to explore partnership proposals from tier 2 & tier 3 cities to encourage a holistic development of women cricket in India.
Cricketgraph team wishes all the best to Vishal Yadav and Female Cricket Academy.
Rains have almost trimmed half of the matches this season in Mumbai and most of the players are eagerly waiting to play a match or two where they can showcase their hard work and practice which goes in the nets. Hence in a move by MCA, they have organized a tournament outside Mumbai in Patiala for the U19 team & in Andhra Pradesh for the U16 team.
The squads have been selected for the U16 and U19 Mumbai teams and this will be a practice tournament for the boys as they take on Andhra Pradesh in 3day test match format. The U16 Squad is touring with three wicket keepers namely Aditya Anand, Sai Chavan and Mayank Teotia while the skipper is yet to be announced. Since the matches will be a platform to practice, expect the playing XI to change in almost every game. Also the perfomance of the players will be noted for the final selection of the Mumbai team.
18 Players selected in the U16 Squad- Mayank Teotia, Sai Chavan, Aditya Anand, Musheer Khan, Jash Ganiga, Suryansh Shedge, Vedant Gadia, Ayush Jethwa, Ayush Zimare, Aman Tiwari, Arnav Desmukh, Himanshu Singh, Bhargav Patil, Prince Badiyani, Aaron Rodrigues, Harsh Shah, Shubham Gharat, Ayush Singh.
Few cricketers in Mumbai may have already heard of Aarkay Sports, a sports apparel brand which is donned by leading cricketers and Bollywood stars however not many would know it was earlier known as RK Sports.
RK sports has been operating for the past 3 decades as a retail store and manufacturing unit under Vikas Seth (the 1st owner), however the brand transformed to be known as Aarkay Sports only 4 years back when other 2 friends (Vinit Sinha & Sandeep Trivedi) decided to collaborate together.
These 3 friends have added a new dimension to the business as they have forayed into other cities in a big way with Sandeep Trivedi who runs a sports shop in Silvassa, also handles the Gujarat Market.
It’s been 4 years since they have all joined hands together and revived the brand with good response from the cricketing community. Till now the brand has worked with teams like Air India, DY Patil, Mumbai Customs while they have also tied up with corporate teams like Jindal, HDFC and Axis Bank. Aarkay Sports has also become the official apparel partners with the Indian Squash Association as their sportswear is not just limited to cricket.
Vineet Sinha, a competitive cricketer himself who plays from DY Patil and also featured in the recently concluded Mumbai T20 league spoke to cricketgraph, “the growth has been possible because we always believe in superior quality, the players know we won’t fool them with quality. Everything from sewing, ironing, packing, buttoning is done inhouse to ensure best quality is given to the players”.
Their commitment to deliver quality products also resulted in procuring orders from global teams of UK, Brussels and U.S.A.They also applied to be the apparel partners with the Mumbai and the Chattisgarh Ranji cricket teams.
With a manufacturing unit based in Dahisar and global aspirations, Aarkay Sports is poised to emboss footprints on the global map.
It’s a dream for every cricket aspirant to play alongside Sachin or just bowl to him and TMGA just brought that opportunity to get trained under Sachin Tendulkar.
It’s just not a brand name added to TMGA-Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy, but the fact that he is personally involved makes the academy so special. The first batch of coaching was conducted between 6th to 9th August in London at the Merchant Tailor School Ground which is spread across 227acres hosting 12proper grounds with the best facilities. It had an amazing 1:15 training ratio with professional coaches from Middlesex County (ECB certified). There were coaches available for each skills like wicket-keeping, batting, bowling and fielding to make sure the young kids were properly groomed and analyzed. There was also Q&A session for the kids where they could ask anything to the batting maestro and the panel of coaches.
Jayesh Kulkarni who coaches at Euro School Thane and Rajwadi Cricket Club spoke exclusively with Cricketgraph as he shared “The best part was Sachin Sir himself would be present at the ground spending 3-4hrs everyday guiding the kids personally, Tendulkar sir would move from one ground to another tirelessly, he would attend each and every kid and answer to all their questions’
Out of the 8students in the 1st batch, 5 kids were from Euro School thane. Jayesh Kulkarni who is also a part of SSSK Sports Mgmt London were tied up in getting the admissions for the academy.
There will be camps held globally and soon it will be held in Mumbai too!
Some Snaps-
16yr old Aryan Patni is one talented kid who has impressed the cricketing community. It was way back in 2015-16 when Sumeet Khanna saw him practicing hard in the nets when he was just 12.
It was at Goregaon Sports Club where Sumeet Khanna first spotted him and it was during that time he got impressed by the dedication at which he was practicing in the nets. Aryan’s maturity at such a young age impressed the coach. Sumeet Khanna now trains him personally on 1:1 basis under his supervision since the start of 2018 and he is happy to see him progress in cricket.
Because of his hard work and dedication he has performed well in the practice matches held in GSC. Aryan was selected in the MCA U16 Camp and also for the Payyade Selection Trophy matches. Apart from that, he has performed really well in tournaments like Kalpesh Koli, Lashkaria Little Champs League where he was also awarded the best fielder. Aryan was also declared the ‘man of the series’ in the Bharat Premier League while he was one of the leading bowlers taking 11scalps in 4matches at less than 3runs per over in the Sachivalay Gymkhana Tournament ’18.
A batting all-rounder who can bowl off-spin as a full time bowler too, Aryan Patni who currently studies in Thakkur College looks promising at such a young age and he can certainly progress with age.
21yr old crickter Omprakash must be elated with the progress he is making in cricket. The hard work which goes behind the nets and the records which he has achieved seems to be getting appreciation as a leading sports manufacturing brand endorses their support for his cricketing journey.
Omprakash who is a batting all-rounder started playing cricket at the SPG Academy & he was a captain of the U/14 and U/16 Mumbai team back then. He also plays for Parkophene Cricketers A Division at the club level. Omprakash later joined Western Railways in 2016 where he works and also plays cricket representing the Western Railways and the Indian Railways team.
Recently with the help of his friend Pawan Singh, Omprakash got in touch with the BAS Company who are known to produce high quality bats which even the International cricketers use. For Omprakash it was his friend Pawan who turned into a blessing as Omprakash bagged a sponsorship with BAS.
On the basis of his cricketing records and journey he got a one year contract from BAS on 3rd August. He was provided with the BAS Bat, Kitbag, handgloves, pads and other cricket essentials. When asked on how he feels to earn a contract “Omprakash quipped BAS is one of the most reputed companies and the quality is just too good plus the people at BAS are very supportive too”
Omprakash who usually practices at Western Railway Sports Assosciation, DPC Sports club in Matunga and at the practice camps held in Delhi also thanked Ramesh Kohli sir from BAS for being so helpful. Ramesh Kohli who is the worldwide owner of BAS has done a noble initiative of helping budding cricketers which helps them a lot to play cricket more proficiently.
When we talk about exercise, it is always the best option to start with getting the basics right. What many cricketers neglect is the fact that they speed up too much in their training programs by lifting heavy but at the cost of compromising the exercise technique. Ultimately, what we get to see as the outcome are “bad body postures, injuries & lack of ability to perform in the match”. Sometimes, you must have seen cricketers criticizing the gym for not being the best place to train for cricketers. In that case we can somewhat agree by saying
“Not every clinic has a good doctor, the same way not every gym has a good trainer”
This article is going to focus on the beginners and the cricketers who don’t get their workout plans right and hence not see any improvement and calling for trouble in the future. These exercises may sound to you very easy but when performed using correct form and technique can do wonders for you. Let’s get started.
1.Push Ups:
Muscles involved: – Chest, Shoulders & Triceps
Pushing is the most common movement that our body likes to perform. That’s the reason why our body learns this movement quickly compared to other upper body exercises. “Have you ever noticed why we subconsciously always push a door in the first instance rather than pulling it?
To perform a push up one has to first follow the hand placement (in the line of your shoulders) and start doing it at a higher angle from the floor. The next progression should be to perform the movement on their knees. As soon as one starts gaining strength then he can start performing the push up exactly parallel to the floor.
2. Pull Ups:
Muscles involved: – Back & Biceps
The most common upper body movement after pushing is pulling. But compared to push up the pull-up is a lot more difficult exercise to perform. Especially, for taller individuals as they have long levers (longer bones attached to a joint) compared to short individuals.
To learn and master a pull up one must start by performing a Australian pull up where the angle is greater than 90 degree from the floor and as you get strong enough you can start going perpendicular to the floor. There are also resistance bands available which will help you to pull your bodies upward due to its elastic effect. They are purchasable online as well as in some stores
3. Squats:
Muscles involved: – Quadriceps, Gluteus & Hamstrings
A squat used to be a very natural & daily exercise for Indians until we adopted the English toilet. Even, doctors have reported that due to the use of English toilets and sedentary lifestyle there has been a lack of flexibility in the lower body which inhibits a person to squat. Due to this a lot of individuals suffer from stiff muscles & joints at a very young age. This may tell you how important it is to include squats in your exercise program. Squatting is also a very functional activity in cricket such as wicket keeper, silly point, short leg, slip fielders and even the players inside the 30 yard circle are walking towards the batsmen in a half squat position when the bowler is about to bowl.
Many cricketers get the technique of squatting wrong. It is very important that the spine must be neutral while squatting (as shown in the image above) and thighs must be at least parallel to the floor. Once you master the squat you can start going even deeper. I will keep making articles on progressions of every exercise that I have mentioned in this article.
4. Deadlift:
Muscles involved: – Gluteus, Quadriceps, Hamstrings & Erector Spinae (Lower back)
“Ever felt pain in your lower back after lifting something off the ground?”
If yes, then maybe you are doing it wrong and deadlift is the exercise for you. The name of the exercise simply comes from “lifting dead weight off the floor” hence, deadlift.
A deadlift may look like a lower body exercise but it basically trains your whole body including muscles in the lower back and your traps. Deadlift is also a bible for you if you are looking to gain strength and muscle size especially in the off season.
5. Plank & Reverse Plank:
Muscles involved in plank: – Whole anterior chain (front) of body & gluteus.
Muscles involved in reverse plank:- Whole posterior chain (back part) of body.
These two exercises are very important because they prepare you to train for many complex movements such as handstands, front lever, elbow lever, L sit & V sit. If you don’t have a strong abdominal strength you may lack in terms of accuracy while bowling, throwing or may suffer lower back pain which may be due to you being weak in these two exercises & doing exercises with a wrong technique. These two exercises also improve stability which is required while performing all movements on the cricket field. A stable body provides you with the ability to hit the shots well, bowl & throw faster and at a greater accuracy level.
“Please Note:- All the above mentioned exercises should be performed under expert guidance or after following the proper instructions given in the article”
Once, you master these exercises (10-15 clean repetitions of each exercise in one set) then you can progress to difficult variations which I will be talking about in my upcoming articles. By then, I hope you develop the strength and interest to perform these exercises so that you become a super athlete like Virat Kohli and other international cricketers one day.
Played in their own den, Islam Gymkhana were made to bat first by Goregaon SC but it did not deter them much as they batted strongly to post 172/4dec in 28.4overs. The openers gave a headstart with a solid 61run stand in 15overs with Shoeb converting a good start into a solid half century. Shoeb scored a strokefilled 56 off 65balls (6fours, 2sixes) while stitched another 73run stand with Prem Salvi who top scored the innings with a brutal 78. Prem on a wicket where bowlers can have more advantage dominated with confidence as he played at a stunning strike rate of 166.00 which had as many as 9 sixes much to the entertainment of his team mates. It was an innings which showcased his abilities of being a powerful hitter and a game changer.
On the other hand Goregaon SC were made to struggle in the 28overs they faced losing 6wkts for 72runs before the game ended in a draw. Spinner Salman Khan took an impressive fifer giving away just 18runs in 8overs. Salman bowled really well and ensured he bowled in the right areas consistently.
It was a drawn match but Islam Gymkhana have given the right signals for a tough competition ahead as the season progresses.
The opening day of Kanga witnessed some amazing performances on 15th August and why not when the players were eagerly waiting to showcase all their practice & hard work they did in the off-season. After a rain hampered month it was finally a treat for the cricketers as they made the most of it with some exciting performances.
In the match which took off at the MIG Cricket Club, MIG CC were made to bat first by Victory CC but it hardly affected their game. MIG CC put up a strong show as they lost just one wicket for 130runs in 22overs before declaring their innings. Opener Sumit scored a gutsy 42 while Swapnil Pradhan who opened the innings with Sumit remained unbeaten on 66* off just 71balls. Swapnil batted confidently timing the ball sweetly which had 3fours and 3sixes. Even though the match ended in a draw, MIG CC managed to show their batting might to the opposite team.
In the other match which was held at Dadkar Maidan between New Hind SC and Worli SC, New Hind SC notched up 113/3d in 21overs after being made to bat first. Right handed opener Parikshit Valsangkar scored a brilliant 54 (2fours, 3sixes) almost run a ball facing 55deliveries. Parikshit’s sturdy fifty was a good indicator of his form as he looked quite solid at the crease. Worli SC in reply were 3down for 6runs before the match ended in a draw.
15th August was the only day so far Kanga matches were played on schedule and it was the time all the Mumbai Cricketers pounced upon the opportunity of giving their best to begin their season on a good note. Jiniv Joshi and Amrut Shetye were amongst those two cricketers who were off to a promising start in the Kanga League.
In the match between National CC and Dadar Union, National CC were made to bat first and the bowlers took full advantage of bowling first as National CC eventually declared at 119/8d in 33.1overs. Most of the batsman found it difficult to get going but opener Jiniv Joshi looked really good for his attacking 44 off 36balls. He took on the bowlers dominantly at a time when the wickets were falling from the other hand. Apart from him Ajinkya Beloshe also looked good for his 31*. The match eventually resulted into a draw with Dadar Union 2wkts down in 12overs.
In the match which was held at Cross Maidan between MB Union CC and Amar CC, Amar CC made MB Union to bat first with an aim of capitalizing on a bowler friendly wicket. MB Union CC declared their innings at 157/7 with right handed opener Amrut Shetye top scoring with a classy 47 off 80balls. Amrut looked composed at the crease as he crafted his innings nicely. Amar CC also did a good job scoring 128/4 in 22overs with Siddarth Sharma top scoring with 49*. The match ended in a draw but it was surely some good knocks which we got to see in the opening day itself.