Every Indian dreams of playing cricket, but not everyone is fortunate to afford this overwhelmingly popular but at the same time reasonably expensive sport. To fulfil this dream, Sudhakar Shetty, decided to take it upon himself and change things in whatever capacity he could. The man who raised the bar of cricket in Dubai under the banner of Maxtalent Global sports, now wants to bridge the yawning gap between the sport and under-privileged children of India.
Under the banner of ‘Towards Being Equal’, Sudhakar Shetty and his team initiated an academy in Dugadgaon, near Vajreshwari, Thane district on June 9, 2015. Started with a bunch of seven kids, the academy has grown manifold to a lot of 30 children. Having spent most of his life in Mumbai, Sudhakar is very much aware of the popularity of cricket and the immense drive among children to play the sport. Taking cognizance of this fact, Shetty decided to do something to help such children play the game. He found an able ally, who would train the children in cricket and was complemented by his wife who undertakes tuition classes for the kids. The kind of work done in the rural areas of Thane district is immense and indeed incredible.
The Maxtalent Global Sports has multiple teams of different age groups that tour overseas to places like India, South Africa, United Kingdom and Oman. These tours not only provide global exposure to the players but also helps them to learn from their overseas counterparts. While talking to Sudhakar Shetty about these tours, he added, “When we tour Mumbai, I make it a point to get atleast one player from Dugadgoan to stay with the Dubai team in the hotel. This practice helps the local boy to learn from the foreign team as well as allows the Dubai team to understand the way in which cricket is played in Mumbai”.
This is a massive project undertaken by Sudhakar Shetty and needs support from all cricket lovers out there to make this project a success. Any kind of support, monetary or non-monetary, is welcomed with open arms. If you wish to contribute / donate money please click the link below. This is a unique opportunity for all cricket lovers to contribute in a small way that will certainly go a long route in helping these special kids to play the game.
Cricketgraph feels proud to be associated with Sudhakar Shetty who is on such a noble mission. Just like Cricketgraph, if you are also interested in getting associated with Sudhakar Shetty and his magnanimous work for the kids of Dugadgoan, kindly contact cricketgraph. Any kind of support; monetary or non-monetary, will be welcomed with open arms. Here’s a chance for all the cricket lovers to contribute in a small way that will certainly go a long route in helping the special kids to play the game.
Played at Sainath sports ground at Virar in Mumbai, Bandra center clashed with Palghar Center for a crucial face off. Bandra won the toss & elected to bat first with an aim of making a big score.
In the 1st innings, Bandra center managed to score 162/10 where in left handed Farhan Shaikh impressed one and all with a fluent 70. While the wickets were falling from the other end, Farhan looked confident and unaffected. The bowlers of Dahanu did a good job to restrict Bandra boys to a low total where in they bowled tight and took wickets at the right time. In reply, Dahanu were all out for 136/10 in 65 overs and could not replicate their good bowling perfomance into batting. Farhan Shaikh the leading scorer also shined with the ball taking 5/36 with his left-arm spin. Farhan left the batsman completely clueless with his tight bowling and kept the batsman confused.
Bandra again batted till 124/5 declare till the 2nd day ended and Bandra won the match by 1st innings. Farhan Shaikh remained unbeaten on 54* in the 2nd innings too making him the star attraction of the match. Farhan’s perfomance certainly took everyone’s attention and he definitely looks like a promising all-rounder to watch out for.
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Finals are always nail biting and one such match was between Sportsman Cricket Club & Souvenir CC at Vasai. Souvenir CC which is a team full of experienced players won the toss & elected to bat first with an aim of making a big score on the board.
Batting first, Souvenir CC could not post a big total as they managed to score only 122/8 in 20 overs. None of their batsman including their in-form Eknath Kerkar (who performed really well in the Mitsui Tournament) could not convert their 10’s and 20’s into a big score. Hitesh Kadam took 2/31 while Sahil & Sandesh also chipped in with 2wkts each.
Chasing 123 is usually a cakewalk but Souvenir boys really gave a tough fight. At one point 45runs were needed off 25balls but they had a savior in Gaurav Jathar who played one of the best finishing knocks in the recent past. Gaurav smashed a 30ball 55 (2fours, 4sixes) wherein he smashed 25runs in the 17th over against Shoaib sheikh which brought them back into the game & eventually helped them to chase the target.
Sportsman CC won the all important finals & Gaurav’s knock was certainly the highlight of the match. Cricketgraph congratulates the winning team and Gaurav while also wishes luck to all of them for a great year ahead.
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It was a tight match between two experienced teams of this tournament namely CMI & Capegemini at LIC Ground in Mumbai. Capegemini won the toss & elected to bat first as they have a strong batting line up plus the pitch was quite supportive too.
Their decision to bat first was quite spot on as they made a gigantic total of 221/6 in 20 overs. Opener Abhishek Mhatre & Yogesh Cherulkar gave a great start as they stitched a quikfire partnership of 90 odd runs which created a positive momentum. While Yogesh was out for 49, Abhishek Mhatre was the pick of the scorers scoring a breezy 70 to lend his team stability into the innings. Ashwin at the middle changed the game single-handedly as he scored a stroke laden flashy 64 off just 25 balls which was a complete entertainment & it also helped his team reach a big total of 221. The bowlers could have done a better job but almost every bowler leaked runs & could not stop the Capegemini batsman from going full throttle.
Chasing 222 runs at 11 per over, CMI did gave a tough fight but it wasn’t enough as they managed to score only 176/10 in 20 overs. Anup at no.4 scored a valiant 50 but lacked support from the other end. Left-arm medium pacer Yogesh Cheulkar once again showed his all-round abilities as he bowled a wonderful bowling spell of 4/27 in 4 overs followed by 3/23 by Swapnil.
Capegemini won the match by 45runs & experienced all-rounder Yogesh Cheulkar was rightly declared ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant perfomance. Cricketgraph congratulates yogesh & the whole team for putting up a good show & wishes them luck for a great year ahead.
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It was a match between two strong and competitive teams namely Goregaon Center and Dahanu at the Virar Sainath Ground where Dahanu won the toss & elected to bat first with an aim of putting the opposition under pressure.
In the 1st innings, Dahanu Center was bundled out for just 73 runs & their decision to bat first proved them costly. Amey Manihar was the pick of the bowlers taking 3/11 in his 6 overs followed by 3/14 and 3/22 by Vinay Kumar & Aryan Patni. In reply, Goregaon center made 200/10 in 56.5 overs where in Ninad & Shreyas chipped in with 44 & 43 respectively.Dhanit Raut & Sachin Gupta took 3wkts each and bowled in the right areas though they could not avoid the lead of 127 runs by Goregaon.
Dahanu once again choked out in the 2nd innings as they were all put again for a low score of 101 runs eventually losing the match by an innings and 26 runs to Goregaon center. Left-arm spinner Aman Manihar also chipped with 3/39 in the 2nd innings too.
Goregaon won the match comfortably by an innings and 26runs while Aman Manihar with a tally of 6wkts in the game was declared ‘man of the match’. Aman certainly looks promising & cricketgraph wishes him all the luck for a bright future ahead.
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It was the all-important finals between Pidilite & Eclerx at the MB Union ground in Mumbai. Eclerx won the toss & elected to field first in order to restrict Pidilite to a low score & chase it down successfully.
Batting first, Pidilites did a fairly decent job with the bat scoring as they scored 147/6 in 20 overs which is a defendable score in a T20. Opener Harshad gave a good start with 28 but Pidilites did got the early jitters when they lost a few quick wickets in between. Right-handed wicket keeper batsman Sujit Deokar scored a very crucial 38 off just 29 balls smashing 5fours & a six to help his team reach a good total. Sunil S also chipped in with a crucial 31*off 22balls at no.5 which was quite crucial in the game too. Ankit & Nikhil were economical as well as the pick of the bowlers taking 2wkts each while they also got decent support from the other bowlers too.
Chasing 148 at more than 7runs per over Eclerx succumbed to the pressure of chasing in the finals as they managed to score only 134/8 in 20 overs. It was a dismal batting perfomance where the batsman were not able to score runs freely. Luckily they had 18 extras or else they would have been restricted under 120 runs. Medium Pacer Anthony Chettiar was the pick of the bowlers taking 2/22 in 4overs followed by 2/25 by Vikas. Add to it, wicket-keeper Sujit affected 3 stumpings and took 2 catches to further dismantle the opposition.
Pidilite won the finals by 13 runs & Sujit Deokar was declared ‘man of the match’ for his overall good batting and keeping while medium pacer Anthony Chettiar with 13 scalps in 6matches was declared the ‘best bowler of the tournament’ while Keeper Sujit was declared the ‘best batsman’ & ‘Man of the series’ too.
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It feels good to see young players having the patience and skills which are essentially missing nowadays in the longer format of the game. Playing with patience, taking some time at the crease, proper cricketing shots everything is getting replaced with quick 50’s, eccentric shots like reverse sweeps and dilscoops and big sixes. That resilience of surviving long bowling spells and playing like a pro in the original & purest format of the game i.e test cricket is under extinction.
One such example of fine perfomance was this talented batsman Siddhesh Jadhav who scored 174 runs in 3 matches he played in the recently held Kalpesh Koli tournament. Right handed Siddhesh played against good teams like Worli Center, Kalina & Kandivali center where he notched up two half centuries at an average of 87 & a strike rate of 50.29 with a best score of 71* off 138balls. In fact, Siddhesh’s 71* also came at a time when his team was struggling with 4wkts down & siddhesh resurrecting the innings back for his side. In the 3rd match he also took 2wkts with his leg spin which makes him a handy all-rounder to have in the side. Siddhesh who plays for Vasai Center has certainly become an important player to have in the side.
From what we can see so far, Siddhesh certainly has the calmness, patience and clever batting skills which are required to excel in cricket. Cricketgraph congratulates siddhesh for his promising perfomance in the Kalpesh Koli tournament & also wishes him luck for a great future ahead.
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Here are the much awaited all-rounders rankings after launching the best batting & bowling performances for April this month. As the rule goes, the rankings of current month in cricket are always launched in its next month and all-rounders as we all know are a very important pillar in the side who lends stability and confidence to their skipper. Hence without getting unbiased we came up with the 5 best all-round performances for the month of April taking all the factors into consideration like the level of the tournament, the ground condition, the opposition & the intensity of the game.
Here are the top 5-
- Sharat Nayak- 35 off 25 & 4/29 (Dreamz T20 Tournament)
![Sharat Nayak]()
Held at the MB Union Ground, Representing AIDEM, It was Sharat’s perfomance which helped them defeat team Loreal. It was sharat’s spell of 4/29 which restricted Loreal to just 141 in 20 overs and while chasing he chipped in with a 23ball 35 at the middle order to help his team win by 5wkts.
- Anil Jhulka- 89 off 38 & 2wkts (Masters Cup Edition 8, T20)
![Anil Jhulka]()
Coming in at no.3, Anil changed the script of the game scoring a 38ball 89 which helped his team reach a commendable total of 195/4 in 20 overs. Accenture lost that match by 28 runs where in Anil also contributed with the ball taking 2/26 in 4 overs.
- Jaycool Girase- 99* & 2wkts (U/12 Salgaonkar Trophy, T20)
![Jaycool]()
The talented kid who is also the skipper of KC Gandhi school smashed an unbeaten 67ball 99* and batted till the end helping his team reach a total of 192/1 in 20overs. Boys Cricket Club were bundled out for just 88runs where in KC Gandhi won by 104 runs while Jaycool also took two wickets with his medium pace.
- Vaibhav Mali- 70* off 33 & 3/44 (Bhaskar Trophy 2017, 40overs)
![Vaibhav Mali]()
It was in the same match where Arun Yadav scored a stunning hundred. But the player who should also be appreciated was also this all-rounder Vaibhav as he scored a blazing 70 in that match off mere 33balls helping his team Mumbai Warriors reach 319/7 in 40 overs. What’s more he also scalped 3/33 in the same match restricting All Stars XI to just 161/10 in 38.5 overs.
- Mayank Gala- 60 off 38& 5/30, (Masters Cup 2017, T20)
![Maynak gala]()
And finally at no.1 is Mayank Gala who certainly proved how handy an asset he is for any team he plays for. Tata Motors who batted first were restricted to 150/10 in 19.5 overs where in Mayank was the pick of the bowlers taking 5/30 in 4overs. What’s more while chasing he scored a 38ball 60* to help his team chase down the score successfully.
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Slow left-arm spinners have become rare species in International cricket and especially for India. In fact many countries rarely have 1 or 2 left-arm spinners which are produced once in many years. Hence it goes without saying that being a promising left-arm spinner is certainly a special talent to hone & if you keep performing consistently, you are bound to become successful in cricket.
Tejas has been performing well since quite a time and one such example has been his recent matches in the IDBI Federal Cup where he remained not only very economical but also took wickets at the right time. In the league/quarters match against Mulund, Tejas was declared ‘man of the match’ for his match-winning bowling spell of 3/8 in 5 overs (1 maiden) which helped his team qualify for the semi-finals berth. In the semi-final match vs Bhosale Cricket Academy too, Tejas gave his best as he only conceded 6 runs in 5 overs while taking 3maidens & taking 2wickets. However, his efforts went for a losing cause in the semis as Bhosle Cricket Academy won the match wherein Santosh Yadav was declared man of the match.
Though slow left-arm spinner Tejas could not take his team DVCA(Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy) to the finals berth but his perfomance in the last two matches surely brought everyone’s attention as he bowled around 10 overs (in 2 matches total) conceding only 14runs while taking 5wkts & 4 maidens. Cricketgraph congratulates Tejas for performing nicely while wishes him luck for a promising year ahead.
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The police gymkhana yesterday witnessed the all-important finals between two strong teams namely Mumbai Police Cityriders & Ghatkopar Jets. Both the teams have fought hard to reach the ultimate finale & it was time for them to put their best foot forward.
Ghatkopar Jets won the toss & elected to field first as the wicket was slightly damp and was looking good for bowling. Batting first, Mumbai Police boys managed to put only 140/10 on the board which is 8 out of 10 times chaseable. Swapnil Pradhan at no.4 was the pick of the scorers smashing a quick 43ball 54 to take his team to a atleast respectable total of 140. Left-arm spinner Pushkraj Chavan was not only the most economical bowler of the lot but also scalped two crucial wickets while giving only 16runs in his 4 overs followed by 2wkts each for Hemant Buchade, Akhtar Shaikh & Ashish More.
Hardik Tamore Man of the Series
Chasing 141, Ghatkopar Jets chased down the score in just 19.2 overs with 4wkts to spare and won the all important finals of the tournament and lifting the prestigious Mitsui trophy. It was a collective team perfomance where all the players chipped in with 10’s and 20’s.
Ghatkopar Jets won the finals while Pushkraj for his economical wicket taking spell of 2/16 in 4 overs was declared ‘man of the match’ while Hardik tamore was declared man of the series. Dashing batsman Aman Khan was declared the ‘best batsman’ for his entertaining batting throughout the series while Rakesh Prabhu was declared the ‘best bowler’ of the tournament followed by Ajinkya Belose who was declared the ‘best fielder’ of the tournament for his athletic fielding throughout the tournament.
Cricketgraph congratulates the winning team for putting up a great show while also wishes luck to all the participating players for a great future ahead. Also special mention must go to the marketing organizer of the event Mr. Prashant Pathare who updated Cricketgraph with timely information so that the players and matches get adequate coverage.
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