India’s leading English newspaper The Times of India felicitated Babrekar on completing a successful umpiring career that stretched for 29 years. He officiated the Times Shield matches at the top level; A division and B division. The 66 year old has been associated with cricket for nearly all his life, first as a player and then as an umpire.Before becoming a full time umpire, the gentleman from Vasai worked at Mahindra and also played cricket for the company for 23 years. He took a voluntary retirement in 1992 and concentrated on umpiring for the rest of the years.
Babrekar is considered to be one of the most learned umpires in MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) panel as he will well-versed with the umpteen number of rules and laws. He is like a walking, talking rule book and this is indeed not an overstatement.
Many cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar as well as the young turks like Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane have played under the watchful eyes of Babrekar. He is also privileged to have played alongside Sunil Gavaskar.
On a lighter note, the now retired umpire says that, “Umpiring is a thankless job”. He adds, “There is a lot of pressure when you are officiating a formal match. You cannot afford to take your eye off even for a whisker. It is a high intensity job and I have truly enjoyed my umpiring career”.
Baberkar has now taken up the role of a supervisor with Mumbai Cricket Association, to ensure that he is in touch with the game even in the second innings of his life.
Here are some pics portraying Umpire Babrekar’s cricket journey
We have seen Sehwag scoring fastest triple hundreds, we have seen Hayden & Lara score gigantic knocks in test cricket & today there was this one boy called Suryansh who reminded us of all of these legends.
Oh My God! is the first expression which will come to your mind when you read this boy’s score in the recent Giles Shield match between Gundecha Education Academy vs SPSS Mumbadevi. It may be tough to believe but yes it’s a fact, Suryansh Shedge scored a mammoth triple century scoring 326 off mere 137 balls. Coming in at no.3, the Mumbadevi team were put in deep trouble with the destructive batting showcased by this talented right hander. A triple century at a strike rate of over 250 is a no mean feat & we are sure this is amongst the fastest ever triple hundreds in any format in world cricket. 13 year old Suryansh broke numerous records on his way.
Suryansh’s score of 326 is now the highest ever score in the history of Giles Shield Tournament, that’s a huge record to break. His 326 off 137 is the fastest ever triple hundred in any format of the game. Be it local or international, this is a verified fastest triple hundred scored by this genius batsman who smashed 54 fours and 3 sixes en-route his glorious knock. In his 3 sixes, his six towards the covers was his personal favorite while the six towards the mid-wicket was the longest. Suryansh himself gave us some excerpts which seem to be quite interesting. His coach had told him he would break Sarfaraz’s & Arman Jaffer’s record today & even go on to score a triple hundred. Who knew! His coach’s words & wishes were completely fulfilled by his disciple.
Suryansh certainly looks like a player made for the bigger things. Suryansh had earlier scored a 96-ball 167 in the previous Harris Shield Tournament & even that was a record. The 13yr old little genius has a long way to go in cricket for sure. Shedge’s 326 also helped his team win the match comfortably against SPSS Mumbadevi team by a record margin of 480 runs which is another record in terms of biggest wins by runs margin in Giles Shield Cricket.
Their next match is against Billabong & the opposition must have already started planning strategies on how to tackle this Little Master Suryansh in their upcoming encounter.
It was Cathedral’s league match of the elite group against IES & they put up a brilliant show against the opposition. Winning the toss, IES modern school elected to bat first with an aim of putting Cathedral under pressure. However, things took a complete turn as IES were put in a spot by the cathedral bowlers.
IES modern school were all out for just 113 runs because of some great bowling by Cathedral team. Krish shah and Sumeir zaveri took 8 wickets together to bundle out the side for a paltry score of 113. While krish was effective and consistent taking 4/27, Sumeir also bowled wonderfully well with his medium pace picking up 4/41. Both the bowlers did not allow the opposition batsman to settle in or create partnerships. Trailing just 113 runs, IES were not aware of the further damage which was going to be inflicted by the Cathedral with the bat.
Cathedral lost their openers early but it was the calm before the storm in the form of Sumeir Zaveri who smashed a double century to lift his side to a great total. Right handed Sumeir scored 202 off just 266 balls in what was one of the most graceful and classiest knocks to be witnessed. Not even once did bowlers were able to rattle the tough temperament & technique of Zhaveri who was looking flawless in his stay at the crease. It was a hard working innings from a very hard working boy who smashed only 80 runs in boundaries. His 20 boundaries covered all the corners of the ground where he showed he has good range of shots in his arsenal.
Sumeir also did lots of running & rotated the strike nicely chipping the scorecard with a strike rate of almost 65. Even his coach had the same things to say for this boy who is way beyond his age in terms of temperament, strength, discipline & dedication.
The Parsi Gymkhana witnessed a magnificent knock from a promising talent who also got able support from Shreyas saraf who played the supporting role with a fluent 85. None of the bowlers from IES looked dangerous apart from Parth Satvik who took 6/71 in his 25 overs.
The Cathedral school team won by a huge satisfying margin of 298 runs at the end of two days play. The school has not qualified for their further rounds but their players like Sumeir, Krish, Yash & Shreyas have showed a lot of promise. The boys have also made their hard working coach Manik Madkaikar proud for sure.
The New Hind Matunga ground witnessed an exciting as well as a close competition between SVIS Borivali and Rizvi in the Harris Shield Tournament. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Rizvi team had a target of scoring a competitive total to put the opposition under pressure.
They succeeded fairly in their endeavors as Rizvi managed to score 312 runs in 89.1 overs. Almost all the top order batsman of Rizvi chipped in with runs. There were three half centuries from Rizvi batsman right from Ayaz Khan(68), Yash Salunkhe (68) , Alsaad Sheikh (64) to faiznauman rabani with a unbeaten 43. Yash Jathar was the pick of the bowlers for SVIS picking up 7 wickets for just 69 runs. He was so consistent and disciplined with the ball, it left the opposition stunned. Had it not been Yash for SVIS with the ball, Rizvi team could have easily crossed 400 run mark.
SVIS batsman(285 all out in 65.2 overs) played well in reply to Rizvi’s 312 but fell short of 27 runs before the end of two days play & lost the game by 27 runs & an innings. Suved Parkar left behind his mark & authority as a batsman smashing 115 ball 147 to enthrall the spectators. It was a mesmerizing knock from parkar which had put Rizwi team under pressure. At one point of time it appeared as if Suved would finish the game in style for SVIS. Had Parkar remained at the crease for a few more overs, the outcome of the match could have been completely different. Right arm medium pacer Akash Yadav bowled really well for his 4/65 with the able support of Farhan sheikh (3/73).
The only difference between Rizvi and SVIS team was that Rizvi team had put collective efforts while from SVIS it was only Yash with the ball & Suved with the bat for SVIS. These two players single handedly took the burden of their team & have surely left behind a mark for themselves.
Datamatics are on cloud nine playing consistent & wonderful cricket in the Kalpana Memorial Corporate T20 tournament. Right from their 1st league match, they have performed exceedingly well to reach the semi final of the tournament. They have remained unbeaten so far and considering their form, they surely look favorites to lift the trophy too.
Their first league match was against the powerful Mumbai University team where Mumbai University team was restricted to 135/7 in 20 overs. Datamatics bowlers fought hard for that win where captain Rohidas Koyande had taken 4 wickets while Malang Aras scored a patient match winning 54(54 balls) which earned him the man of the match award. Highlight of this match was an unbroken opening stand between Malang Aras and Vinayak Mulye (34 not out) for 90 runs.
Their 2nd league match was against IDFC bank where Datamatics bowlers again did a brilliant job of restricting the opposition to 131 with the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Vinayak Joil, Sagar Nehete & Prem Rajbhar took 2 wickets each in that match while Rohidas scored an attacking as well as an entertaining knock of 95*(50 balls) which also had 5 sixes which eventually led his team to a clean victory by 9 wickets and 5.4 overs to spare. Rohidas was obviously adjudged man of the match for his superb 95*
With two wins, Datamatics were already looking good & they carried the positive momentum into the 3rd and the crucial match where a victory would lead them to the semis of the tournament. The third match was against Learning Mate where again their bowling was exceptional. As we can observe the bowling of Datamatics kept on improving match by match as this time Learning Mate team was restricted to just 122/7 in 20 overs. Dhruvin Dharamsey, Kuldeep Vishwakarma & Hemant Khanolkar took 2 wickets each & were also quite economical. While chasing this time it was Nikhil Patil and Malang Aras who put up a classy 122 runs opening stand with Nikhil Patil scoring a match winning 74* off just 53 balls and Malang Aras scoring 34 to help their side qualify for the semis after winning the 3rd match by 9 wickets & 3.3 overs to spare. Nikhil Patil for his fantastic knock was the man of the match.
Datamatics journey has been envious in this tournament with consistent performances from their bowlers & their batsmen. Their top order batting has fired with opening stands of 90, 70 and 122. Considering the zone in which Datamatics is, they are not too far from winning the tournament.
TCC Pulled up another breathtaking game with brilliant performances by entire team lead by opener Upendra Yadav by playing first & last ball of the inning of 20 overs. He consumed only 49 balls to score 74 runs @ handsome strike rate of 151%, Ganesh Patil once again expressed himself as valuable player of TCC with contribution of outstanding innings of 45 runs in just 26 balls at brisk strike rate of 173%
19th contest of FPL tournament & 4th games for TCC commenced with wining toss by ACT elected to Bat first considering good looking Batting Track of Yashwant Nagar. Decision of batting first paid them well and they posted 83 runs without losing wicket at brisk strike rate over 125% but the complexion of game changed by spinners when Palu Gadvi bowled both the openers off his consecutive overs followed by Upendra Yadav who produced brilliant delivery & took most important wicket of Jasheen followed by run out of Tariq by Dipalok. Since game was reduced to 18 overs, so ACT finished their quota of 18 overs and set tough target of 154 runs for TCC to chase.
TCC successfully chased down total 155 runs in 16 overs & won by 8 wickers despite of losing early wicket of opener run out by alert move of the wicket keeper. We can’t rule out brilliant bowling spells by pacers to restrict opponent to chase able total despite of Dream Start 82/0 of ACT. Palu emerged as best bowling figures of the game with 2 wickets but Dipalok bowled brilliant spells of 4 overs gave away only 22 runs including most critical last over of the inning cost only 5 runs.
TCC has also showed their excellent fielding skills on the day where Upendra and Anna saved 10 important runs for the team by unbelievable action in the field. Palu, Pramod, Nilesh, and Prateek & Daange also displayed excellent ground fielding with accurate throws and Ganesh Patil contributed as wicket keeper.
In nutshell it was one of most competitive contest between TCC & ACT which was concluded with great exhibition of cricketing skills and very constructive spirit of the FPL Tournament by both the teams. (Well Played )
Wish FPL to witness much more exciting & Entertaining games in times to come for viewers and participants.
All the very best to both teams for all forthcoming contests.
Happy Cricket & Let the entertainment continue !!
ICICI Securities had some clear things in mind before entering the crease. They wanted to bat first and post a big target as the pitch was good to bat on & they had a strong bowling line up to defend. Things went in their favor as they won the toss & got a chance to bat first. The top order batsman right from Yatin(opener) to Mandar(no.4) batted well chipping in with crucial cameos.
Both the openers played counter attacking cricket & put the opposition team under pressure. Captain Javeed Siddiqui scored a 16 ball 34 which included 2 back to back sixes out of which his straight six towards the long on was his personal favorite. Every batsman came in and gave a start but it was Amar who played a great knock for ICICI Securities. Amar who is considered a flexible batsman like Ajinkya rahane can bat at any position where his team needs & this time he shone bright at no.3 . Amar’s 33 ball 53 was the backbone of ICICI Securities team total of 183 runs in 20 overs. The right handed Amar smashed 11 boundaries en-route his stroke filled 53. Vyom bowled well picking up a wicket for his 22 runs in 4 overs. Nishit also took 2 wickets for 31 in his 4 overs.
Chasing 184 against a strong bowling line up, Boston team faltered managing to score just 105/8. ICICI Securities won the match by 78 runs & Amar was adjudged man of the match for his superb knock of 53 (33 balls). It was because of Amar as well as their collective team efforts, ICICI Securities won their 1st match of the tournament & they will move ahead in the further matches with a lot of confidence.
Dindoshi team had already decided to put the opposition under pressure after bowling first. Winning the toss, their plan was to restrict the opposition under 120-130 & bowl maximum dot balls. Dindoshi bowlers partially succeeded keeping UBMC on toes. UBMC managed 141/9 in 20 overs.
Dindoshi bowlers worked hard containing the batsman & also taking wickets. Fast bowler Ajay Mahale was splendid in his bowling spell of 3/32(4) picking up all the important wickets. Sainath gaurav was also effective giving away just 13 runs in 4 overs & also taking a wicket. Chasing 142, Dindoshi won the match in style by 7 wickets and 2.1 overs to spare. The openers gave an aggressive start to lift the team’s spirit. At no.3 came in-form Vinayak Maske who completed the formality of chasing. It was a game finisher knock from the right handed Maske who scored 54 off just 37 balls. The knock was a pure treat to the eyes as he smashed boundaries (8) with ease & also a six towards the fine leg. His personal favorite was the classy straight drive which he smashed against the pace bowler.
The pitch was good to bat on & man of the match Vinayak made full use of it at the Aarey Bhaskar Ground in Goregaon. The captain as well as his team mates appreciated his 2nd fifty in 3rd match & all Vinayak wants is to continue playing good cricket and make his team win more matches.
From a total of 16 teams (9 from KAPOL & 7 from YCC) reaching the finals and winning it is a no mean feat. None of the teams from Youth cricket club qualified for the finals & it was between the two teams of Kapol samaj group namely Hurricanes from Acry organics and Sixers from subh valia trust.
Winning the toss first Hurricanes took a risky decision of fielding first. The risk did paid off as the opposition team were bundled out for just 126/9 in such a crucial match. The bowlers really did a fantastic job of restricting the opposition to such a low total. Nihar modi gave just 13 runs(4 overs) & took a big wicket of Gaurang Parekh who can single handedly change the game on his day & is also the leading run scorer in the tournament. Dhruv Doshi and Jeet Mehta were also wonderful with the ball.
Chasing 127 was like a cakewalk for Hurricane as they won the match by 7 wickets and 3.1 overs to spare. Manan Mehta scored a match winning 63* off just 57 balls. The right handed batsman smashed 8 boundaries and equally worked hard between the crease rotating the strike to craft his innings which ultimately led his team to a win. Skipper Parth Mathuria remained unbeaten on 26 off just 19 balls.
Despite being a under rated team where they hardly had any big names to reckon with & their frontline skipper who was not available in their first 2 matches, Hurricane team has surprised everybody with their consistent performance. They have remained unbeaten in 6 matches which is an enviable streak. It was purely based on teamwork and co-ordination between the players and their coach Anil Nayak must be proud of his boys.
Finishing the tournament in style Gaurang Parekh (280 runs @56.00 & Strike rate of 194) & Manan Mehta(274 runs @274 & strike rate of 136) were at no.2 and no.3 respectively in the list of leading scorers while Nihar Modi(10 wickets at a astonishing average of 7.60 & econ of 4.26) is topping the bowlers chart followed by Maulik Mehta(10wickets @12.50)
No doubt the Hurricane team will be ecstatic after winning the tournament & they will move with confidence in their next encounters (KSG 40 overs tournament is their next tournament)
THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION OF FOOTWORK IN BATTING IS THE INCLINATION AND WILLINGNESS OF MIND TO USE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS ITSELF. FOOTWORK PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SHOT SELECTION AND IS ALSO CRUCIAL WHEN IT COMES TO EITHER PLAYING THE BALL OR LEAVING THE BALL ALONE.
WITH APPROPRIATE FOOTWORK SCORING RUNS BECOMES EASY. BY PRACTISING THE RIGHT FOOT MOVES, THE EFFICIENCY OF MIND AND BODY CO-ORDINATION IS INCREASED WHICH CATERS TO SOUND STROKE MAKING.
PRACTICE:
BATSMAN SHOULD REGULARLY TRAIN ON HIS FEET MOVEMENT TO
1] REACH THE BALL AS WELL AS GET IN LINE OF BALL
2] TO NEGATE THE SWING OR SPIN ON BALL
3] TO HAVE A GOOD BODY BALANCE AND BODY WEIGTH TRANSFER WHILE PLAYING THE STROKE.
