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Honing talent
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Arshad Ayub's training academy is a perfect platform for youngsters to hone their skills
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PHOTO: MOHD YOUSUF
STRAIGHT BAT Arshad Ayub shares valuable know-how with youngsters
In recent times, Hyderabad has witnessed a mushrooming of cricket academies, some started by those with no knowledge of the game. But former Test cricketer Arshad Ayub strikes a different approach as coach. He wants to give back something back to the sport.
His Arshad Ayub Cricket Academy was set up at AC Guards Grounds six years agohad faced difficulties in the beginning over the control of the ground (now he is paying Rs 5,000 per month as lease to the concerned authorities).
Its present success is reflected by the fact that it has produced three Ranji cricketers in the current Hyderabad squad namely spinner P. S. Niranjan, wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel and medium pacer Fahad Shahanawaz. Besides them, there are plenty of entries from this Academy in the various age group teams of Hyderabad.
About 160 regulars in different age groups are provided professional coaching by people who have played the sport at some level or the other. The panel of coaches includes some familiar names of Hyderabad cricket like Faiyaz Baig, Abdul Bari Wahab and former Andhra Ranji star Srinagesh. Former India captain Mohd Azharuddin who is a frequent visitor, gives talks and guidance.
And when Arshad picks up a young boy, Harish, to demonstrate the finer aspects of playing with a straight bat in the regular drill, the boy's mastery emphasises how serious Arshad is about his job. The boys are coached to improve their game in all aspects with regular monitoring.
"If there is a group of promising fast bowlers, they are picked up for intensive training which starts off with the basics. These include landing of the feet and the delivery stance. We are not impressed just by the long run-up and pace of the youngsters. We analyse their strong points and fine tune their skills for better results," Arshad explains.This Academy provides the trainees with the perfect platform to utilise their skills. That is because Arshad has six clubs, which regularly compete in the league competitions of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
"We believe that no amount of coaching can be a substitute for actual match practice," points out Arshad. For this reason, he also organises matches regularly between the campers. It also helps him to assess the potential of the boys. "There is no dearth of talent. In fact, we have won the under-11 category title in the All India Pepsi Cup tournament in Bangalore last week," he says. It is good to see a former Test cricketer imparting tips on the finer aspects of the game to children . And Arshad is clearly enjoying this role after retirement - probably as much as he enjoyed playing for Hyderabad and India during his hey days as one of the country's frontline spinners. This architect of Hyderabad's Ranji Trophy triumph in 1987 is determined to provide a helping hand to any youngster willing to work hard. That should be good news for the budding cricketers of Hyderabad.
V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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