In a cricket loving nation, everyone knows the ins and the outs of the Indian cricket team but is anyone aware of the cricketing scheme for wheelchair cricket? The chances seem bleak. Vicky Lamba Kumar from Delhi is an unknown personality in relation to any other cricketing personalities but the work put in by him is more than exceptional.
Vicky Kumar is an ex-wheelchair cricketer who represented India in the last decade. It wasn’t just the cricketing abilities but his willpower and determination which were lauded by everyone. Making a career in cricket isn’t as easy as it looks anyways but Kumar managed it even with his physical disabilities.
With the lack of support from the government and cricketing bodies, cricket for the disabled was always neglected. Vicky had to go through a lot during the initial phase. Playing in a wheelchair was challenging itself, and added struggles from society amplified it. Regardless of the difficulties, Vicky Kumar was able to reach the top and represent the nation in 2015. He debuted against Bangladesh in Dubai but his career lasted short with only 3 games.
Leaving the field for good, Kumar was assigned the role as the President of Delhi Wheelchair Cricket Association in 2017. He regularly organizes tournaments for the physically challenged as there are very rare instances of them playing regular games.
After becoming the President, he only had one goal in his mind, to spread awareness about the wheelchair cricketing community in the society. During his playing days no one paid attention to these leagues leaving him and his comrades heartbroken. Due to this, the funding was low which resulted in poor development.
Vicky Kumar wants to send a strong message through his work so that the Government would monetarily aid the leagues. This would enable cricketers to have better financial backing and security for their respective futures after their careers are over. Kumar is not only doing this for the wheelchair cricketers but also for other physically disabled teams.
Currently Kumar and his Delhi team are preparing for the WCI National tournament at Lucknow in October. 16 Teams from India will be participating in this prestigious league. Vicky will travel with the team to guide and support them.
The recently held game between Kadapa Warm Up and HCA Colts played on 30th June was a competitive game of cricket. On paper it seems like HCA Colts won easily but it doesn’t paint the whole picture. The Colts won the toss and asked Kadapa to bat first.
After being asked to bat first, Kadapa Warm Up managed to score only 227 for the loss of 9 wickets in 50 overs. After a decent opening partnership of 61, wickets fell in a heap. Opener R. Rohit Varma scored 85 off 138 and anchored the innings. From the other end though, wickets regularly collapsed and the team never got going. A valiant effort from T Sudharshan (31 off 31) down the order made sure Kadapa crossed the 200 mark.
The Colt’s bowling attack was led by Jeevan who bagged 4 wickets in his allotted 10 overs and gave away just 30 runs. Overall bowling partnerships were quiet in order to restrict the opposition to just 227.
Smith Dhyawartiwar kicked off the run chase for HCA Colts by scoring 36 off 50 but after losing 4 wickets for such 83, they were in a spot of bother. Palem Charan Theja made sure the run chase came to a halt by bagging 2 quick wickets. It was the match winning innings and partnership of Aryan Reddy (73 off 92) and Aaditya R K (71 off 79) which secured the victory. Thanks to Aryan’s ability to soak the pressure, Aaditya could go on and play his game freely. The Colts managed to complete their target in the 47th over with 6 wickets in hand.
Aryan Reddy of the Little Scholar School is also selected for the U-16 HCA State Colts Tournament.
‘Bradmanesque’ is an English adjective that is rarely known by people. But ask any avid cricket fan and he will immediately tell you the meaning of the word. The adjective is a tribute to the great Sir Don Bradman, whose batting average of 99.94 is unmatched in the history of the game. Many pundits also consider him to be the greatest ever sportsperson to have ever lived. But what was so special about his performances that made people immortalize them in the form of a new adjective? The answer is consistency. Here, we will try to decipher the secret behind consistency.
We require consistency in all fields of life. Consistency separates the very best from the good. Even though we will limit our discussion of consistency to sport and cricketing examples. The major takeaways from this discussion will be applicable everywhere.
According to many greats, consistency doesn’t come out of the blue. Rather, it depends upon doing the basics correctly and mastering them over a period. When the legendary AB De Villiers was asked about the secret to his 360-degree batting, he had said that “I just focus on doing the basics correctly and since I have mastered them, I can innovate according to the need.” It often takes years of hard work and effort to really master the basics. All successful people in their respective fields do their basics right, it is something that is common to them.
The readers might wonder, the greats have some extraordinary abilities which the ordinary folks like you and me can never have. It is true that some individuals are more talented than others, but talent is not the only determinant of consistency. One of the most important things for ensuring consistency is following the process and not worrying about the results. MS Dhoni had once talked about how following the process helps him to get superb results. Rasmus Ankersen, a Danish author has done a case study of six very small regions of the world which consistently produce great sportspeople in their respective sports. His findings are described in his book titled ‘The Gold Mine Effect’. He has also highlighted the importance of following the process in their consistent success at the Olympics.
There is one last piece for solving this puzzle of consistency. This last piece is the mindset of the individual. Successful people who have shown remarkable consistency have often talked about ‘getting into the zone’. What is this zone then? It is typically defined as a mental state where one is completely focused on the task, has an empty mind, and doesn’t worry about the results. Virat Kohli had once stated in an interview that when he is batting, he sees only the ball and the rest is a complete blur. This is an example of ‘getting into the zone’ and we all have seen what terrific consistency Virat has achieved over the years. Common people like us also experience this feeling sometimes and when we enter the ‘zone’ everything happens just perfectly for us.
Finally, one must always consider the fact that there is no single formula or method to ensure consistency. Apart from the basic points mentioned above, you are free to choose your own method. Trust yourself, your process and figure out what works best for you. Remember, Sehwag and Dravid achieved great results by using totally different methods and yet they both are considered as legends of the game.
-Charvak Naik
On 23rd June 2022, RKB CA showed a dominant performance to clinch the title. Fighting hard, efforts of Rajeev Rathore CA were valiant but in vain. The SMT Indrani Sharma Memorial Tournament was organised by Parag Sharma and Prashant Sharma and sponsored by FAST&UP.
DCAD President Mr. Surinder Magan and coach Jitendra Kumar were present. RKJ’s owner Mr. Gaurav Kapoor attended the finals as well.
After winning the toss, RKB CA asked their rivals to bat first. The match was scheduled for a 40 overs but the innings of Rajeev Rathore CA lasted only for25.2 overs. They were bowled out for only 102 with the highest scorer Priyansh Singh coming down at number 8 and contributing 32 off 47. Opener Adhavan scoring 28 while another tail ender Aditya Kumar scoring 20. Aditya Gautam and Ronit bowled exceptional spells for RKB giving only 14 runs off 6 overs each. Ronit bagged 2 scalps while Gautam was able to take 3. Overall, all bowlers contributed towards a complete effort to bundle up the runners up.
The second innings lasted shorter than the first. RKB managed to chase down the target in just 16 overs. The opening stand of 82 of Abhigyan Mishra (20 off 32) and wicketkeeper Swastik Bhati (36 off 49) caused the majority of the damage. RKB won the game and the tournament with 8 wickets to spare. Aditya Gautam was announced as the Man of the Finals .
Here’s the list of other awards:
Man of The Tournament – Pranay Sharma
Best Bowler – Ronit Kumar
Best Batsman – Priyansh Singh
Upcoming Player – Shivesh Kapoor
Emerging Player – Abhishek Chalal 
Special Thanks to Mr. Arjun Gupta (Kragbuzz Owner) and Mrs. Shalini Sehgal (Franchise Head of Institute of Professional Banking).
Mumbai Cricket is filled with inspiring unheard stories and people who have been around since the longest of time but often going unnoticed. One such personality who has been deeply connected with the grassroots of Mumbai Cricket is none other than Nadeem Memom sir- the revered Ground Curator of the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Nadeem Memon, though 61 today has been acquainted with the maidans of Mumbai Cricket since the 80’s. A football player in his early days and then finally spotting his love for cricket, Nadeem went on to play cricket himself playing Top Division Mumbai and Corporate Cricket. Nadeem has also played in Times Shield and other marquee MCA tournaments. Nadeem also represented IDBI Bank in corporate Cricket. Nadeem Memom played A Div Cricket for almost 11 years and he was also a part of the iconic Karnataka Sporting Association Team which won Purshottam Shield back then. Karnatak team during the 80’s had the likes of Ravi Shastri, Brijesh Patel, Suresh Shetty, Sudhakar Rao, Deepak Rai, Balvinder Singh Sandhu to name a few who all were prolific first class cricketers of that time. Nadeem later also played for John Bright CC and he remembers playing alongside the likes of Vinod Kambli as well. Nadeem also recalls being close to Achrekar sir and the memories he shared with him during his playing days are still etched close to his heart.
Nadeem’s journey with Ground Curation also began in the most fascinating ways. Nadeem Memon shared with Cricketgraph”
“During 1979-83, when i used to also play football alongside cricket, there used to no facilities for working out and even if there were, affording it would be a challenge and to be a strong footballer you need strong calves and leg muscles. There used to be one Bengali Chacha on the Maidans who used to make pitches. For almost 4-5 years, I used to help Chacha in rolling the grounds, those 500kg rollers ensured that my calves and leg muscles became strong while at the same time I also learned the nitty gritties of ground curation, I would study the wickets, use roller on moisture wickets as well and that is how my journey began as a ground curator”
Fast forward to 2022, Nadeem Memom now holds experience of over 3 Decades as ground curator and indeed he is one of the Top Ground Curators of India. In a career spanning 30+ years, Nadeem has prepared over 58 Grounds while he has actively made wickets for iconic clubs like PJ Hindu Gymkhana, Parsee Gymkhana, MIG, Islam Gymkhana, DY Patil, Anushakti Nagar Ground, Nehru Stadium to name a few. Nadeem Memom was the official Ground Curator of Wankhede Stadium between 1999 to 2003 and later came back to service Wankhede from 2011 to 2015.
Nadeem recalls “I was the first ground curator to completely dig and prepare new wickets at Oval Maidan assisting in opening the now very reputed Elf Vengsarkar Cricket Academy. The 2002 wicket at Wankhede was also made by me, the same wicket where Mumbai emerged Ranji Champions and till date the wicket is almost the same”
A one man with various faces, Nadeem has done it all whether you talk about him as a cricketer, ground curator, coach or a secretary. Nadeem Memom has always believed to remain connected with this beautiful sport in different facets. For the uninitiated, Nadeem Memon is also a qualified MCA and NIS Coach, Nadeem passed his Coaching exam in 1986/87 from MCA under the tutelage of legendary Madhav Mantri sir where he learned important aspects of the game. Nadeem coached Anjuman Islam School between 1985 to 1988 for 3 years & during his tenure Anjuman always reached the finals in Harris/Giles Shield tournaments.
Nadeem has also served as the Joint Secretary of MSSA – Mumbai Schools & Sports Associations between 2015-2019 while he has been an active voter of MCA since 1984. Nadeem actively continues to curate grounds for MCA Wankhede, MCA BKC and MCA Kandivali while his contribution to Mumbai Cricket certainly holds a special place in its own right. His journey of more than 4 decades is certainly inspiring for the future generations who will remain connected to the field of cricket.
Stay Tuned for more such inspiring stories as Cricketgraph envisages to bring out many more unheard stories from grassroot cricket.
If there ever was an inspirational story, this is the one. Dev Dutt, have you ever heard the name? No? Well, here’s a perfect example of how nice men don’t finish last. Coming from nothing, Dev Dutt is now a highly respected coach in Delhi and for a very good reason but it didn’t start out that well. Dutt waives off fees for players who can’t afford it. He also takes care of them, looking after their food, equipment, travelling, etc. Here, the Delhi coach tells Cricketgraph how a boy from a struggling household became one of the most successful coaches in India.
After a short career as a player, he was forced to stop playing cricket due to his elder brother’s death. As his sibling’s death ceased the only stream of income for the family, Dutt decided to step up and take responsibility giving up his dream of becoming a cricketer. He packed up his kitbag for good and started coaching in a nearby academy.
Gursharan Singh, an ex-Indian Test player helped Dev get a job as a coach in his academy and just this way, his coaching career began at the young age of 19. Dev was vastly helped by Gursharan Singh financially as well. There was one more person who deserves credit for taking care of Dutt, Rajpal Solanki. Solanki has been with Dev for every step in the way. He has helped him during his tough time and even after Dev has become a successful coach, they help each other. When asked, Dev Dutt praised and lauded these two selfless humans.
After working hard for years and supporting his family, Dev tied the knot in 2012. Just one year later he got his big break and established his own academy in Delhi. Currently he has two academies, Venkateshwar Cricket Academy and Harbeer Cricket Academy. They were an instant hit and were flooded with young budding cricketers. The most interesting thing to know is Dev Dutt doesn’t charge players who are financially unstable. In his words “If you have talent but you are unable to pay the fees, I will take care of everything. I don’t want anyone else to struggle like I did.”
There have been several players in the domestic circuit representing different states at different levels that have been coached by Dutt. Sagar Dhaiyan, Siddhant Dogra, Shreyansh Mahi and Akshay Singh are a few players under coach Dutt who went on to represent their respective states. India U-19 player Aryan Dalal is a student of Coach Dutt as well. After applying for the position of coach for the Deaf Indian Cricket Team, he was selected as a temporary one. There was a communication barrier but the President of the team helped him with sign language. Other than that, everything was smooth flowing. After the tour, the team was so impressed that they assigned Dutt as the permanent coach. As of 2022, the Deaf Indian Cricket Team are preparing for the upcoming Champions Trophy coached by Sir Dev Dutt. The tournament will start in September.
Apart from coaching the national team, Dev Dutt still wants to take care of every student who joins his academy. He wants what’s best for the child, leaving his desires aside.
For his monumental efforts as a coach, Dutt will be presented the Gaurav-E-Hind Award on 10th July, 2022 in Delhi.
Meghna Singh, Indian Women’s cricketer signs with playR as her Talent Management Agency, just before departing for her series starting on 23rd June in Sri Lanka.
The express fast bowler made her One Day International debut on 21 September 2021 against Australia and earned a test debut just 9 days later. Meghna Singh also featured in the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Born in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, she started playing the sport in gully cricket with boys before joining professional coaching under Lakshyaraj Tyagi. Meghna looks up to her idols Jhulan Goswami and Mitali Raj as inspiration and mentors, aspiring to bring laurels for the country for many years to come.
“I found playR as a committed team of professionals into Sports Lifestyle Apparel Equipment Accessories and Talent Management. playR is founded and managed by sports loving and former sports persons, playR understands the needs of a player and has a corporate relationship team for associate tie-ups. I am very happy to sign with playR and looking at a long term association” stated Meghna Singh.
Business Head, Manish Sharma states “‘Player First’ is the spirit of playR and it lives in our products and services” Devjeet Chakraborty, The Sports Business Head added that during the BCCI Calendar Year 2021-22 playR provided equipment and clothing to the Bihar Cricket Association. playR is the Official Fan Gear Partner for Mumbai Indians comprising Apparel for International market and Equipment, Fitness and Accessories for Domestic and International market.
“We are very happy and excited to have Meghna Singh as our Talent Partner who is a very promising, talented and humble cricketer in Indian Women’s Cricket Team” shared by Dharmil Shah the promoter and Director of iCOREts Private Limited. Ravi Kukreja, the co-founder stated that “ India is evolving as a sporting nation and playR endeavors to provide affordable high-quality, international standard products and services to all aspiring sports persons in the country and abroad.”
Meghna Singh has overcome a lot of challenges and is currently representing the country which is a dream of every aspiring sports person irrespective of gender. Sports is gender neutral, one needs to put in a lot of hard work and dedication if he or she aspires to play for the country.
“As a team we are very excited to have Meghna Singh with us. We are already in talks with few leading brands in sports and lifestyle for Meghna Singh” shared by Sanjay Panday who is the Sports Marketing Head
“playR is reaching out into the market with Retail Distribution in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Delhi NCR. playR has more talented players as talent partners who are promising and fresh talents. Signing Meghna Singh, playR is to build and develop Player Management vertical and develop mutually beneficial relationship with our Talent Partner – Meghna Singh” shared by Devjeet Chakraborty-Sports Business Head.
Well, Cupping therapy is a form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin with the application of heated cups. It’s popular mainly in certain parts of Asia but also in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. 22yr old Badar Batliwala from Mumbai is one such face who has become the torchbearer of Cupping Therapy treatment in Mumbai by not only healing thousands of people but also making this therapy popular in Mumbai as well as across India.
All but 22, Young Badar started off 4yrs back and in those 4 years he has treated over 1500 patients making him one of the prolific cupping gurus in Mumbai specializing in all types of Cupping/Leach therapies. So Cricketgraph got in touch with Badar to know more about his journey and here is a short interview which went along:
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So Badar, what’s your education Background?
I am a Final Year BAMS Student (D.Y. PATIL UNIVERSITY) & Certified Cupping Therapist.
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How you got connected with Sports and other Athletes?
I used to follow some amount of cricket & football since I was young and when I started my own practice of Cupping Therapy, so I thought to myself that the category which would benefit the most through my services would be sports person. Hence I started to advertise my trademarked brand “The Cupping Guru” online and that is when I connected with a lot of athletes including the CricketGraph page itself.
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How and when did you forayed into learning Cupping Treatment?
So when I started out my medicinal undergraduate course (BAMS) in 2018, that is when my father pushed me to learn this therapy as he used to get it done from our family doctor and used to feel that there are great benefits of this therapy. So hence I learnt it as a certified course in my first year of the medical course (BAMS) and hence was doing it as an unpaid internship in various clinics just for experience in the beginning 2 years of my career. Eventually lockdown happened and there was a pressure of meeting my own personal ends and expenses. So hence I started out my trademarked brand “The Cupping Guru” which includes all types of mainstream Cupping Therapies, Leech Therapy & various physiotherapy related services.
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As of today, I am connected with 3 different health centres in Kurla, Ghatkopar & Thane. Apart from those, I provide home service all over Mumbai.
Currently I am in my final year BAMS and attend to my business brand “The Cupping Guru”, attend clinics for medicinal practice & even assist in surgeries too.
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What education or training or course did you went through to learn Cupping?
I did a certified course from a family Dr. friend who has 35+ years of experience in Unani medicines & treatment. Eventually when I started my own individual practice my own medical course of BAMS came in my aid a lot.
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How many years of experience do you hold in Cupping Therapy?
Well it’s been 4 Years now and it has been an exciting journey treating over 1500 patients & still countin…..! I also teach these therapies with Govt. Affiliated certificates only to people who have a medical background and that too just one on one teaching sessions. I believe that is the best way to teach these therapies instead of taking batches and providing a mediocre experience to my students. I believe that at least no one or as a matter of fact no institute in Mumbai can compete with the level of teaching and practical training that I can provide.
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Till now name some of the biggest and high profile clients you have worked with?
I have done these therapies to quite a few TV & Web series actors & politicians as well. Some of my collabs are Cricketer Sarfaraz Khan & Bigboss Fame & Actor Sourabh Patel & Mumbai Cricket Association Apex Council Member Vihang Sarnaik & in future aiming for more collabs as well.
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Reasons why one should opt for Cupping Treatment?
From ancient scriptures to modern researches, Cupping Therapy has proven to be useful in treating a varied number of illnesses and conditions like all pain related condition, boosting blood circulation & immunity, arthritic conditions, BP & Sugar control, Blood Detox, Hairfall & Hair Growth, Skin related conditions and the list just goes on.
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What are the different types of Cupping Therapies?
Various types of Cupping Therapy includes:-
1. Wet Cupping (Hijama)
2. Dry Cupping
3. Fire Cupping
4. Acupressure Cupping
5. Dynamic Cupping
6. Herbal Cupping
7. Water Cupping
8. Ice Cupping
And various subcategories in the types mentioned above. The most mainstream of the above are Wet Cupping, Dry Cupping, Fire Cupping.
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What are your plans or vision ahead with your Cupping Guru Business?
I have gotten really good in the last four years of my career doing these therapies, that I can humbly say that I have been able to compete with other famous medical professionals out there in terms of result oriented practice. So I plan in doing and excelling more in that area.
But in the near future, my endgame is to become a practicing surgeon and hence I would have to hang my hat in this field whenever that happens because doing Cupping Therapy in the future won’t suit my identity as a surgeon. But I have gotten my brand “The Cupping Guru” trademarked and so will be distributing my franchise for the new aspiring Cupping Therapists out there.
As we can see, the young and dynamic Badar has charted off an exciting journey and looks all set to become one of the Top Cupping Gurus in India in the years to come. Cricketgraph wishes Badar all the luck for a great future ahead while stay tuned as we keep unearthing such exciting stories and people connected to grassroot cricket.
Cupping Guru Badar can be reached out on: +91 7738830917
Instagram Id: the_cupping_guru
Cricket is often considered the richest and most popular sport in India. No wonder the cricketers representing India enjoy a great amount of recognition and fame across the world. However, there are often many people connected with cricket who often go under rated & unnoticed. One such personality who has seen almost 4 generations of cricketers in the maidans of Mumbai 7 continues to work in the same profession since decades is Bat Repairer Ashrafbhai.
Ashraf Chacha’s family has been in this profession since almost a century with his shop M Ashraf Bros being into existence since 1920 which means Ashrafbhai’s father, followed by his elder brother to Ashrafbhai now all together having witnessed over 10 decades of cricket reparing bats of cricketing stars spanning multiple generations. Running this family business of bat repairiing since 1920, Ashrafbhai has repaired bats for the likes of Sunil Gavaskar to Dilip Vengsarkar to Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli to Steve Smith to Pollard to Chris Gayle to name a prominent few. Almost all prominent top division to Ranji level Cricketers have repaired or customized their bats atleast once with Ashrafbhai.
Right opposite Metro Cinemas near to Wankhede Stadium, Ashrafbhai with a kitbag on his shoulders filled with bats and bat grips has remained a constant presence since decades. Ashrafbhai is a Master when it comes to fixing broken bats, remaking them, shaving off wood to reduce weight or trimming the handle edges as per the demands of the hard-to-please batters! His fabled tales of generosity is quite popular amongst the cricketers as well. When the Windies cricket team were in a turmoil with their cricket board over player contracts, it was Ashrafbhai who supplied the team with 16 bats without taking a single penny in return. Over the years, Ashrafbhai has repaired bats for many players and he has not charged many of them till date.
During COVID, Ashrafbhai went through a difficult phase, with all maidans being shut and IPL being held abroad, the small shop of Ashrafbhai witnessed no business. Above that, Ashrafbhai was also affected with a Kidney infection and other ailments making things difficult. The employees of his small shop returned back to their villages while Ashrafbhai with no business around was certainly in the need of some financial help to overcome his health condition. To add more woes to his stress, during that difficult time, Ashraf Chacha also lost his elder brother who used to be the support system working together with him.
Leaving such a rich legacy and working for so many decades for en-number of cricketers, Ashrafbhai still did not ask for money from any of the cricketers even from those whom he helped or from those whose payment was due. However, Good things happen to those who do good and Ashrafbhai through his close friend Prashant Jethmalani could make a fitting comeback soon.
Prashant Jethmalani who has been in touch with him for more than 15years managed to raise over 2 lakhs for him while the God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar also came forward to Ashrafbhai’s rescue taking care of expenses to ensure he gets treated. Apart from Sachin, even Sonu Sood came forward and contributed towards Ashrafbhai’s treatment.
With Covid now almost over and Maidans resuming cricket, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for Ashrafbhai as well who has now recovered from his health & aims to start working back in full flow. Like Ashrafbhai, there are many such people from the support staff connected to the field of cricket and sports whose contributions to the game often go unnoticed. Cricketgraph wishes Ashrafchacha the best of health and stay tuned as we envisage to cover more and more such stories across grassroot cricket.
Baddy Boys opting to bat first at Achievers Cricket Ground in Greater Noida posted a massive total on board smashing 232/5 in 20 overs. With openers getting out early, Varun Garg changed the game in no time as he went on to smash a brilliant century. Varun scored 157* off 58 balls smashing 10 fours and 16 sixes covering almost every corner of the ground with his enterprising display of batting.
On the other hand, Smashers did gave a tough fight scoring 201/7 but that didn’t seem enough for them to cross the victory line. Captain Prashant at middle order scored 66 runs off 35 balls while from the bowlers Pankaj Chaswal and Suraj grabbed 2wkts each.
Baddy Boys won by 31 runs and Varun Garg was declared ‘man of the match’ This match was organized by Nitin sir while it was the finale of the 2019 season.