TERI- The Energy & Resource Institute is one of the leading corporate cricket team as well as one of the top organizers from Delhi NCR. They organize various tournaments throughout the season which goes from October to May. The tournaments organized by them have got a long history and prestige too. Mr. Vinay Pathak talked about it in brief. “At TERI, we have 2 cricket grounds. The grounds are located in campus near Gurgaon-Faridabad highway. We organize 6 to 7 tournaments for corporate cricket teams. To name few, we have D.G. Fadkar tournament which we are organizing since 1997. Also we have organized 21 editions of TERI cup. We will be organizing Madhav rao Scindia cup for 10th for 4th time this season. In May, we also organize summer cup. D.G. Fadkar, TERI cup and Tiger Pataudi tournaments are of 25 overs whereas others are of 20 overs.
”Mr. Pathak talked about one of the strong pillars of TERI. “Our director Dr R K Pachauri is a good cricketer himself and he is also a great sports enthusiasts. He always promotes sports for employees. His age is 74 now but still he plays cricket! Teams used to think that how will he will be able to survive? But he is fit and very competitive on field. He is the driving force for us. Initially, we started playing some practice matches and then slowly it has grown this big.Also one of the main factor for our success is the ground where we play matches. It has a lush green outfield and a terrific wicket. Even some Ranji trophy matches have been played here. Haryana Ranji team often comes here for the practice matches. It is a scenic venue and one gets refreshment after coming here.”
He talked about few good teams which he has seen. “I think to start with our team that isTERI is extremely good team. Apart from that Gail, NIIT, MaxLife, ICICI, HDFC bank, Royal Stag,Genpack and HCL are the top teams which are performing consistently in our tournaments. Wetake every precaution that no player from outside can play for any corporate team. Over theyears many teams have been participating in our tournaments. Tiger Pataudi tournament has24 teams and in other tournaments as many as 16 teams participate.”
There is one more thing which is interesting about TERI and that is their ground fees. Usuallyfor such well-developed grounds, the fees is between 50,000 to 1,00,000 INR. But at TERI theytake only 10,000 as ground fees. Due to which Haryana cricket team often prefer their premisesfor different matches. Various other cricketers like Ganguly, Bevan, and Attapatu have been attheir ground for playing cricket. Certainly the facilities at TERI are redoubtable and match the BCCI standards.
Captain of TERI cricket team, Mr. Sanjay Kumar told his memorable experience. “We wereplaying against Vodafone. Vodafone is one of the good teams in Delhi NCR. I don’t rememberthe exact score but that match went to the last over. And after we snatched victory, Icelebrated in a Ganguly style by taking my shirt off! Haha! That was incredible experienceindeed. Now we are looking forward for new season and to get some titles under our belt.” Asthey have gained the fame in Delhi NCR, they are now looking to reach to other cities of Indiatime and Tiger Pataudi memorial cricket tournamentand organize tournaments there.
Couple of years ago, Satyam Agarwal and one of his friend read an article about corporate tournament. They were keen to know more about this new field and after doing some research they started their own firm- Smashtress. This is how these erudite people took a U turn and started organizing tournaments of various sports. “We started in December 2012 and the firm was officially registered in early 2013. I used to play Basketball and after completing my engineering I was not getting time to play. After all these research I understood that there is great opportunity in this field and I can remain in touch with the game. This is how it all started,“said Mr.Agarwal.
“These days lots of MNC’s are investing to bring in sports for their employees. In this shorts pan, the firm which we started as a part time business, has grown into one of the prime corporate organization when it comes to corporate sports. Currently we organize tournaments for Table Tennis, Volleyball, Cricket, Football and Badminton. We are focused completely corporate sports events.
”Mr. Agarwal talked about how these sports activities benefit the companies and their employees. “These days we see quite often that people are very formal in office. Hence at times they find it difficult to mix up and work together. At the same time they are always under some kind of stress. Sports is a good solution to these problems. When they play in such tournaments, naturally team building activity takes places amongst themselves. Also for these tournaments they bring their families too with them. It is a good outing for them which provides refreshments. Thus it help company as well. Most importantly, they can enjoy the game which they might have played during their school days for the last time.
“Currently they organize tournaments in Delhi NCR. There are few teams which are performing brilliantly in their tournaments. These are limited overs tournaments which they organize.“Currently teams like Market India and WSC group have good cricket teams. Also there are few others but in total we have 40-50 corporate companies as our clients. We are growing now and we are putting in all the efforts,” said Mr.Agarwal
He told about one of his experience of how they managed and organized a volleyball event.“Actually the match was going to start at 2 pm. But somehow the teams reached the venue at1 pm. They thought the match was at 1 pm. We were still doing arrangements and we were surprised to see them at 1 o clock. Yet we work smartly and started tournament within short time thus the time of those teams was not wasted. AT the end of tournaments they applauded us for our efforts. That was a proud moment for me.
”Talking about the uniqueness of his firm he gives this example. “Currently there are 100s of such organizers in Delhi NCR. We want to be different than others. We are trying our level best for that. For example, we are the only organizers who arrange food for the participants and that too a different food at different times. I think that is the prime reason of our success in this short time. Our services, our umpires are of top quality. Whatever we promise them, we always give it to them. “ . With this fervent attitude it is needless to say that very soon their unique organization will reach its apogee.
There has been lots of talk since past few years about the talent in cricket which comes from small towns. There is yet another evidence that shows the existence of sheer talent in bucolic Indian society. In TrimurtyChawk located somewhere in Nashik district, there is an aspiring cricketer who is having a dream of playing in under 19 World Cup 2016 which will take place in Bangladesh.Ravindra Jadhav- an 18 year old cricketer has made a name for himself amidst the local cricket in Nashik. Studying in a polytechnic college, Ravindra gives 90% of his time in a day to cricket.
His day starts at 5 am in the morning. Being a sportsman, fitness is his primary goal and he works on fitness and training every day. He has to travel for fitness & training at one place and then for cricket drills at another place in another direction. That’s the disadvantage of living out of the heart of city. Ravindra daily travels about 10-12 Km just for cricket. Ravindra has showed his class in the tournaments which took place not only in Nashik but at other venues like Pune, Malegaon etc. He played for Nashik district under 19 team. The story of his selection is quite interesting. Initially, he was overlooked when a 48 man squad was selected for trials for Nashik under 19 team.
Without getting disappointed, he went for a trial of open age group. His outstanding performances gave him a place in the 48 man squad for senior Nashik team. After watching him do so well, selectors brought him back to under 19 Nashik team. Ravindra, who is basically a batsman, has already scored ample of 50s with a lone hundred wherein he hit 111. When asked about one thing which he would like to improve in himself, he told that it is indeed his fitness. Being growing up in a modern era of cricket, he likes Test cricket over other formats. Ravindra doesn’t have all the facilities which other cricketers in urban areas get.
In fact he doesn’t even have a proper coach. He trains at golf club ground for NDCA yellow team. He watches lots
of videos of international cricketers to perfect his batting. When it comes to fitness, he tries to follow the diet of Usain Bolt. Ravindra used to play a lot of tennis cricket in his childhood. Later he joined a club and started playing professional cricket. During this time he became interested in cricket and decided to pursue a career in it. Sachin Tendulkar & AB DeVilliars are his idolatrous cricketers. However, financially he is facing lots of difficulties and it is a tough task for him to make the both ends meet.
Having grown up in a family of 8 people, Ravindra now does every possible thing to make money even like selling vegetables and umpiring. His 5 elder sisters are married. Now he lives with his parents. His father has a small shop in town and from all these sources run bhagna hai” said Ravindra. Despite they gather money for his cricket equipment. Ravindra likes to bat at his home ground which is a golf club ground. The recent 2013-14 cricket season was a mixture of highs and lows for him. He played well in few matches but couldn’t maintain the consistency. He believes in hard work and he is targeting the upcoming season to achieve his dream of playing for India in under 19 world cup 2016. Ravindra likes to have small goals in front of him. With his strong desire and ability to work hard, he is all set to achieve new heights in his career.
Back in 1996, with an intention of doing something good for the community, Kapole Sports Group organized its first ever cricket tournament. 18 years later, they have achieved a giant feat to become one of the top sports organizers. This success was the result of arduous work done by Mr. Hiren Seth and his colleagues. “Sports was far away from our community when we started the club. We wanted our people to indulge in sports activities. We mainly organize matches for our community and play with Gujarati samaj.Things have changed a lot over the years. We are happy that we could do something for our society,” said Mr.Seth. “We organize various
tournaments which are conducted for entire season of cricket. We have one tournament where each team represents one particular community. The unique thing about our organization is that we organize tournaments for everyone, that is, for every age group. Our main aim is to encourage people to come and play different sports” Mr.Seth talked about the main purpose for him to start this organization. “Back in those days there was only one prime tournament. That was the Times shield. So many teams used to participate in it. After a particular stage it was played on a knock out basis. Due to this it was as good as an end of the season for the teams who couldn’t qualify to knock outs. We noticed that on an average a player was playing only 5-6 matches after practicing for 6-8 months.
That’s why we decided to start a tournament. To become a good player, it is necessary to keep in touch with the game and to play in more number of matches. This is how it all began.” The journey which started with just a single tournament has now reached the apogee. Today Kapole sports group organize as many as 10 to 12 different tournaments every season for every possible age group. “To start with, we have under 10s tournament. Then there are under 12s, under 16s and open category tournaments. That’s not all. Usually we find that tournaments are organized for these particular age groups but we also have a tournament for the people who are in above 40 age group. We also organize soft ball cricket tournament for women. If these senior guys who are above 40 will play cricket then naturally the culture of sports will be emulated by their children. That’s what we want to achieve,” explained Mr.Seth. “We play various formats of cricket. T20, Multiday and the limited overs as well. We now have more than 400 players who are playing in these tournaments.
We travel outside Mumbai as well for playing cricket. Basically we play in the radius of 200 Kms which includes Vapi, Daman, Silvasa, Palghar, Pune, Lonavla and of course the suburbs of Mumbai. Due to the rule of MCA that one player cannot be a member of more than 2 clubs, lots of quality players were not getting a chance to showcase their talent. We are targeting these professional players and giving them a platform via these tournaments” The efforts of Kapole sports group have been fruitful. Lots of players who start their cricket training under Kapole sports group also play for Payyade sports club.
“When it comes to tournaments, we categorize teams in A , B and C groups according to their strength. This gives everyone an equal chance. Also the players keep changing the teams depending on the format of game. Some are T20 specialist or some prefer to play in Multiday matches. Couple of our players Umang Shah and Maulik Mehta are performing brilliantly in times shield b division. Both of them have played for MCA under-14s,” said Mr. Seth. Mr. Seth himself was a bowler and used to play cricket during his school and college days. He thinks that Tata Steel’s team is one of the top teams he has seen. Finally Mr.Seth talked about the prospects of Kapole sport group “Like cricket now we are organizing lots of tournaments of various other sports for our community. Our main aim is to work at grass root level and provide basic facilities to players. We want our player to go ahead and represent the country on international level. We will keep our good work going to ensure that culture of sports is pervasive in our society.”
Winning or losing is part of a game we say. But there is vast difference between winning and losing. Everyone always wants to be on the former side than the latter. It doesn’t matter whether you lose by a single run or you lose by quite significant margin, a defeat is a defeat. How many of us always tend to imagine oneself at the place of a person who is receiving the winner’s trophy? Well almost all of us. Dream Sports Organizers have resolved this thing when they introduced a loser’s trophy. Does that mean that a team will get a trophy even after they lose? Certainly not. Mr. Harish from Dream Sports explains about the working and overall organization of Dream Sports.
“We started organizing cricket tournaments 17 years ago with 16 teams to begin with. Our organization and tournaments got good coverage in Times of India, Hindustan Times and several other newspapers. From then it started growing. Now more than 100 corporate teams play in tournaments organized by us. This is our 18th season we have started from 2nd October and it will go on till the May ending.”
“We organize 4 to 5 T20 tournaments and one 40 over tournament. Till few years ago, there was only one major tournament which was Times shield. Teams losing in 1st round had nothing to do after that. Compared to that T20 has become a popular format in corporate teams since the time it was started. It is short and people enjoy it. Almost half of the corporate players play only in T20s,” said Mr.Harish.
When asked about the interesting concept of loser’s trophy Mr.Harish said, ”That’s one of the good things invented by us in tournament organization according to me. Earlier we used to organize tournaments on league basis where teams used to play in round robin fashion. If there are 4 teams in a group and one team is already out of the tournament then that team was not interested in playing the final game, that is, say 3rd game of their group matches. It was a dead rubber game for them. Sometimes they didn’t even turn up for such matches. It used to affect the opponent team badly as they couldn’t get a chance to improve their net run rate. Hence we restructured the format of tournament. Now the top 2 teams qualify for the knock outs from each group for main trophy and the remaining teams from all groups play for a loser’s trophy. In this way everyone started enjoying their cricket.”
In past 17 years they have been the main pioneers in different changes in cricket tournament organizations. “We organize tournaments mainly at Azad Maidan, Oval and Cross maidan. These venues combine to form a heart of local cricket in Mumbai. If for any match umpire doesn’t turn up then we can quickly find the replacement. That’s the advantage of organizing tournaments at these venues from our point of view,” said Mr. Harish.
They have seen so many players in past 17 years playing in their tournaments. There have been few teams and players who are performing quite consistently over the years. “I think Reliance capital is one of the best teams. But they have got few professional players in their squad. Apart from that Airtel is also a good team. Airtel
guys win at least 1 to 2 titles every year as per my observations. There is a player called as Jitesh who is performing consistently. Last season he got two man of the series awards. Sandesh Amrute is another player from Reliance capital. I think these two are the strong pillars of the two teams mentioned earlier,” said Mr.Harish.
Harish himself was a batsman and he played for Business India firm. He is extremely passionate about cricket. “I always like to play cricket but I am not a professional. I am enjoying my job as an organizer. Because of such tournaments now teams have started recruiting professional players. We also organize tournaments a particular company for their inter department matches. There are lots of benefits which companies and employees get. The team building activity takes plays when everyone is at same level and there is no hierarchy. Many companies have got branches in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. For such tournaments they come together at one place and get to know about each other. We just want to continue the tradition of last 17 years and we are looking forward for this brand new season,” said Mr.Harish.
You must have heard about working in shifts, haven’t you? But have you ever heard about a tournament that goes on till midnight? Well surely not. When the ICC is doing so much of brain storming over day-night tests, Jitesh Khanna- an organizer from Delhi has implemented the tedious looking job of organizing tournament that goes on till mid night. “Usually we start at 8 in the evening and then tournament goes on till 2 am in mid night. That was first ever full night tournament,” said Jitesh.
Having played cricket for his school, college and West Delhi cricket club, cricket has been an integral part of Jitesh’s life. Jitesh himself was
an excellent batsman he used to open with Virat Kohli for about 6 months at West Delhi Cricket Club. “After completing my education, I played for Bank of America’s cricket team. In that way I was always in touch with the game. Experienced lots of thrill and fun while I was there. I completed my MBA and then started looking after events. At that point I got this idea of organizing sports tournaments. And that’s how it all began.”
The very first match of the very first tournament organized by him was an extraordinary experience for Jitesh. “That was the very first game which I organized. It was intra company tournament which was organized for Fractal Analytics. Batting team was 7 down and still they were short by almost 180 odd runs. The No.8 and No.9 batsman made that big partnership and eventually they won! It was a limited overs leather ball tournament, “explained Jitesh.
Jitesh started it a year ago under the name of “Advaita Events”. They organize sports events for Cricket, Football and Badminton. But their main focus has been cricket since they started. “I have seen so many teams participating in tournaments organized by us. Amongst them the teams of Bank Of America and Serco are the best ones. They are improving their game day by day and they have lots of professionalism in them. Most importantly they enjoy their cricket. Watching them play is always a fun,” said Jitesh.
The tournament might last for a short duration of time but there is lots of hard work and thought process which takes place at back end. “While organizing any tournament we start about 2 months ago. We make sure that ground is booked well in advance,” said Jitesh. Instead of making tournaments monotonous, they try to make the game more interesting. “I always think ki is bar naya kya kar sakte hai?” said Jitesh. “We don’t alter the format of the game much. But we always look for the add-ons which we can provide with cricket. I think too many changes might spoil the recipe at times so we stick with the format of the game like a 20 over game or a 45 over game etc. “
Till now they were looking only after corporate cricket but now they have started to organize club cricket tournaments as well. “We have just started it. Our main aim is to give a chance to new clubs who have been formed recently or clubs which are in still its formation stage” said Jitesh. Recently the winner of their tournament won a Thailand trip! Apart from that Jitesh thinks that it helps companies to build a team spirit within their employees.
“To be a good organizer one should have a great passion towards the game. That person should be ready to do any kind of work. Even when I go at ground, I do all sort of works right from arranging chairs to inspecting the pitch,” said Jitesh. Having made a good name in Delhi NCR now he is looking to expand his sports events globally. They are planning a tournament in Thailand. So next time you win a tournament here, you might get a chance to go to Thailand where again you can play in tournament and win the trip to some another location! Keep an eye on these tournaments.
It is that time of the year! As we say adios to rain, a fresh smell of leather balls, newly purchased bats and green
top wickets are all set to welcome a brand new season of cricket in Mumbai. The kids are looking to excel to higher levels by performing in two of the most prestigious tournaments in school cricket- The Giles Shield and The Harris Shield. This might be the first Giles shield for someone or there might be few who will be playing in both of them and some will be looking to give a final punch as they will be playing for the last time in these tournaments. Behind the success of these tournaments lies a hard work; hard work of a man who has been involved with MSSA cricket operations for as many as 48 years!
Mr.Bhor who is a secretary of MSSA says that every season is different and there is always an alacrity when it comes to cricket. The Harris Shield & Giles Shield will be starting from 7th November. “Till last year the teams were classified in plate and elite group but this season we have change the format. This time all teams will play a limited overs matches till quarter finals. Then the quarter final winners will be promoted to elite group and losers will play semis and final. Thus now there are 16 teams in 4 different groups so ultimately we will have 4 teams in elite group who will be playing for shield on League basis. This will be the general structure of tournament, “explained Mr.Bhor.
Just like the tournaments, the grounds where these tournaments are organized also have a special importance. Most of the matches are played at the mecca of Mumbai cricket which is Azad maidan. Along with that matches will take place at Oval maidan, Cross maidan, Shivaji park, Matunga’s Major Dadkar ground etc. The final will be played at CCI,Brabourne.
“There have been many changes which have taken place in these tournaments.
The MSSA is well equipped with technology when it comes to maintaining records. All the data is available with them in terms of runs scored & wickets taken. “We have created a separate instance for every player who plays in elite group. We have classified the player as per batsman, bowler and all rounder. At the end of the tournament we give prizes to top performers. It encourages them to perform good again and again. We have got Mr. Deepak Talim who looks after all these records’” said Mr.Bhor.
There have been few problems which are faced by players over the years now. MSSA is looking after all these issues and trying to sort them out. “The main issue while playing in these grounds is the supply of pure water. At Azad and Cross ground we have installed a drinking water facility and at Oval we provide them water during drinks break. Also there is a chance of a player suffering from injury in match due to poor outfield or getting hit by the ball from another match. Attempts are being made to provide a doctor for all games. MCA also send one doctor at each ground,” said Mr.Bhor
He has been there for almost 50 years now. He has seen few generations of players passing through these tournaments and then going on to represent the nation. “These tournaments have a long tradition players like Vengsarkar, Sanjay Majrekar, Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and many others showed the glimpses of their talent in these tournaments. I am really enjoying my work and our aim is to provide more and more facilities to players so that we can produce quality cricketers for our country,” said Mr. Bhor
Back in 1989, Lord Northbrook Cricket Club, one of the famous clubs at Azad Maidan appointed a new curator-Mr.Ravi. Since then he has been there looking after the pitch of their club. He has seen couple of generations pass through that place and he admits that a lot has been changed since the time he joined. “I am in business for last 25 years. Since the time I started my job as curator, I have been associated with Lord Northbrook Cricket Club. There has been a special bond with this wicket and with this club as well for me. The methods then were a lot different. Having said that I don’t really think that it has changed a lot when it comes to nature of pitch. It is as good as what it was for all those previous years,” said Mr. Ravi.
“During the start of Kanga league the top of wicket looks green which is but obvious. There is good amount of grass on outfield too. We have to ensure that there is no small pit anywhere in the outfield. It might harm a player while he is fielding. In Kanga league the wicket favors bowlers and then it remains neutral, “said the curator.
“I have seen that teams are opting to ball first here in Kanga league matches. Most of them are ending on winning side. I think naturally since beginning this pitch becomes lively when it rains. In one the matches in Kanga league last year a team was bowled out twice meaning the 3 innings were completed in one and half days. Certainly this is a result oriented wicket and hence teams look forward to play here as they can earn those crucial points by winning the games here.”
Mr. Ravi never played cricket with leather ball but he has a good knowledge about the soil quality. “Initially it looked like a tedious process but now having done this for 25 years everything looks like a cake walk. We can make any kind of pitch at the same place if we are specially instructed in that manner. After almost one and half months of the start of season that is somewhere in mid-November it doesn’t provide much help to bowlers. Hence I said it remains neutral and winning or losing a game completely depends on your capabilities,” said Mr.Ravi.
Ravi says that he would certainly like to see greener outfield even after rainy season has ended. “Now we see that everywhere grass is spread nicely. But it becomes difficult to maintain this look of ground once the rain has stopped. Many people pass through this outfield daily and hence the grass can’t sustain here. We see that in other countries they have green outfields even for club games. We are making an effort to achieve the same thing. It will be beneficial for players to field there and they can learn new techniques of fielding which are seen regularly at international levels. Grass will also avoid the injuries to these players,” explained Mr.Ravi.
Ravi said that MCA has been providing soil to put in the outfield currently. Because of that the curator’s job is made simpler. “My aim to provide a quality wicket and good outfield as well for my club. So that we can produce cricketers to match the international quality. I just hope that this wicket will maintain its reputation as bowler’s friendly wicket at least in Kanga league.” Said Mr. Ravi. Ravi’s ideas can turn out to be revolutionary as we can see outfields getting better on the main grounds in the city.
Cricketers who are passionate about the game work hard in nets. Some of them start the net session in early morning while some take it till late in the afternoon. But there is someone who wakes up before them, reaches ground and ensures the smooth conduct of a practice session or a match. It’s none other than the curator of those 22 yards where cricket is actually played. Ramu Kaka who is doing curatorship for United cricketers club talks about his experience over the years.
“I joined the club as a curator back in 1991. Things were a lot different then. We had no tool nor the proper soil to make the pitch. In the outfield during kanga league matches the grass was denser and ball often used to get lost in it. Things are lot better now. We are having good tools to work with. We are getting soil from the MCA and the outfield is now much clearer. Acche se accha pitch banake de taki player ko kuch problem na ho, yahi humara kam hai,” said the curator.
The work for preparing pitches starts much before the actual beginning of season. The season kicks off with Kanga league in September end but the work for preparing pitch starts in June itself. “As the season ends in May we make sure that all things are in place which we will be needing to make a new square. In June we start the work by digging the square. After that we let the rain do its work. It’s a bit complicated process but one gets used to it after doing it for so many years. Our mentor Mr.Godbole provides us everything we want. Now because of change in structure of tournament the wickets are quite dry at the start of Kanga league as the rainy season almost ends by that time, “Said Ramu Kaka.
His expertise in curatorship had made him earn an award for best pitch for two consecutive years. In 2002 and 2003 the pitch prepared by him was selected as best pitch during the times shield and he received the award from Mr.Chandu Borde. “Nature of the pitch depends on rolling and watering. Pitch should be evenly rolled to get a proper bounce. Also less water makes it too dry and more water makes it sloppy. There should be adequate amount of water used while preparing a pitch. We create pitches according to demand. Some want a green pitch while some are looking for a pata wicket. Same thing applies to practice wickets. It is well known that a grassy pitch favors the bowler. Mostly during Kanga league pitches have a grass on the top. We usually expect heavy runs by batsman on a pata wicket,” said Ramu kaka.
“When any player or captain goes to inspect the pitch, they try to test it using their fingers. Most of the time it’s the figure that gets pressed and not the pitch. They do wrong assumption based on this that the wicket is little moist and it might keep low. To test a wicket before a match one should use coin or keys.”
Over the years he has seen so many players coming to ground and perfecting their technique in the nets. “After watching so many player now I get to know what kind of player he is just by having a look at his technique. I still remember Zaheer Khan when he used to come at Oval maidan for practice Net me bowling dalte waqt har 6 ball me 3-4 wicket to nikal hi deta tha. Players like Ketan Panchal, Bhavesh Patel who are from our club have went to play in Ranji trophy,”said Ramu Kaka
Ramu kaka has also made pitches for National Cricket Club and for Worali Cricket Club. On every Monday of week the rest day is there when no matches are played and he takes care of the outfield. In the end Ramu kaka tells an important mantra for preparing a good pitch. “As I said, Pitch should be rolled properly and should not remain porous. That’s the key thing to prepare a good pitch”
Some people tend to think that curatorship is a job of experience person who has spent some significant years on cricket field and someone who knows well about soil and water. This assumption is proved wrong by a young lad as he is now preparing pitches for United Cricket Club. After playing cricket for few years Ajit’s career took a u turn as he started to prepare pitches instead of going and playing on it. “I just joined a year ago. I am still a novice in this field. I used to play cricket before but I was going nowhere as a cricketer. So I decided to have a go at curatorship. I am now enjoying my job,” said the youngster.
It was not easy for him to come into this field and prepare pitches. “I used to play cricket so I was well aware about the basic requirements while making a pitch. I have played on so many different kind of pitches. It really helps having played cricket earlier. You know what exactly the players are expecting from pitch. Pitch plays an important role in any game. It’s our duty that the standard of a pitch will be maintained throughout the game. It is a huge responsibility which my club has put on my shoulders,” said Ajit.
“Frankly speaking the geographical location doesn’t matter much while preparing pitch. We can make any kind of pitch at any part of the world. Of course the work force and time required might vary but it is quite possible. Currently we make pitch as per demand of the players for the private tournaments or non MCA matches. For tournaments organized by MCA like Kanga league or Times shield, I prepare pitches according to my opinion.”
Ajit talked about the pitch of Union Cricket Club which he is made ready for new season by him recently. “This pitch is a good pitch. It has excellent bounce and there is no real covering of grass. But as per my observation, teams prefer batting first here after winning the toss. Overall this wicket is sporting wicket, the bounce remains even throughout the match. The response from player has been very nice about this wicket. I always like when I hear them saying that the wicket was fantastic after the match”
Ajit shared some key tips which makes the pitch bouncy. “I think it depends on which roller you use. We use a heavy roller here and role frequently so that the surface becomes flat and hard. We use normal Lal Mitti to prepare the pitch here this also helps getting a good bounce. According to me, the heavier and bigger roller you use, you can extract more bounce from the wicket. The very top layer of wicket plays key role in deciding the behavior of ball after pitching on surface. That’s why you need to have it firm and hard. This can be achieved by using heavier roller,”said Ajit.
On normal days he starts his work early in the morning. “For Kanga league the outfield gets disturbed a lot. So we have to put the soil to level it. Currently the pitch is a fresh one. We started making it May ending. It’s a 2 month long process we dig the square then put some grass in it and then do some covering of soil after few rains. This wicket works fine for entire season. Only the grass gets deteriorating. So we work on that to get some fresh grass on top of wicket. I am also getting good assistance from senior curators who are here with me. They are always around and tell me different tricks for preparing a pitch. I am looking forward to this new season. Every season teaches you some new things and I am just eager to learn all those things,”said the youngster.