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Queering the pitch this summer

If summer is here, can coaching camps be far away for budding cricketers? VIJAY LOKAPALLY on the phenomenon of cricket camps, many of which are a money minting exercise

TIME TO PLAY Spinning legend EAS Prasanna at one of the several summer cricket camps in New Delhi. Photo: V.V. KRISHNAN

The shattered panes in the neighbourhood announced the summer vacation in a loud and visible manner. Impromptu `Test' matches were the order of the day - starting at the crack of dawn and lasting past midnight because `floodlit' cricket had a vast following. This was the backdrop that formed the early years of Virender Sehwag in dusty Najafgarh on the outskirts of Delhi. The scenario was no different in other towns of India where Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan followed a rigorous schedule that culminated in a glorious rendezvous with their cricketing heroes.

Summer camps were most awaited and cricket in scorching heat was just the first step in their desire to carve out a good life. The success of these achievers from different corners of the country has only motivated millions of kids to look at cricket as a profitable career.

Come summer and the Capital experiences a surge in cricketing activities.

Chasing dreams

When most are confined to the comforts of their drawing rooms or air-cooled work places, hundreds of youngsters chase their cricketing dreams at cricket academies in blistering conditions. "I am amazed at the ferocity with which they compete. The conditions are taxing but then they make tough sportsmen too. Summer camps are a nice way to prepare your child to be a mentally and physically strong person," observes former Test all-rounder Madan Lal, who runs an academy at the Siri Fort Complex.

Former cricketers, international and domestic, get busy during summer vacations as they share their experience. Of course, it comes at a price. Eager parents, keener than the child, cough up huge amount at such summer clinics, which number more than 500 in the Capital. "How can any coach teach you the best technique in just a month! I don't understand how even the NCA (National Cricket Academy) judges a former cricketer's credentials in a mere fortnight to hand him a certificate to coach. This is a race to gain instant success and recognition and in most cases it does not work," asserts Arun Bhardwaj, a noted coach of 32 years' experience.

The trials at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium attracted more than 1000 kids to fill up just 25 berths. "It was crazy," exclaims Bhardwaj. "Parents just push their kids. I can understand the anxiety but then not everyone can be a successful cricketer. You can play the game at different levels but cannot achieve success by just attending a summer cricket camp. It has to be a sustained effort over a period of time," he adds.

For Nikash Dumre, father of a budding cricketer, these summer camps have their plus points. "A child learns to be independent. His thought process improves. He learns to be competitive. A child's outlook changes as he follows a routine that is aimed at improving his overall character. The physical and mental fitness improves dramatically." And what about the exacting conditions? "If you ask me, it is better if the child encounters these hardships at an early age. He learns to adapt."

Most parents prefer to send their wards to such cricket camps essentially to ensure discipline. "A child learns about camaraderie at such camps apart from the basic fundamentals of the game," notes K.P. Bhaskar, former Delhi captain and father of a promising cricketer. "These camps keep the child active and importantly wean him away from television. I would prefer my son to toil in the heat, chasing the cricket ball, to loitering in the neighbourhood or endlessly watching silly shows on the television," says Bhaskar, who is also a batting coach at the ZCA in Mumbai.

For Uday Gupte, a coach at the Turf Cricket Academy, the summer camps are a "first step" in the making of a cricketer. "We provide good facilities - best of pitches and match grounds. The infrastructure is decent. We use six to eight new balls daily and get the players' equipment at subsidised rates. From poor and talented kids, we charge nothing. We are not here to exploit and make money. We never lose time in advising the ambitious parents of their child's future in the game. If he is not good, we ensure he returns to concentrate more on studies," asserts Gupte, who has trained Gautam Gambhir and Rajat Bhatia among many.

Just a bubble

Not all of these cricket camps are serious efforts at imparting the finer points of the game. "There are some camps only aimed at making profits. It all depends on the individual. There are some former cricketers who are serious and honest about their work. But there are some who hop from one academy to another. I fail to understand how can a former cricketer, with no coaching credentials, demonstrate in one week's time the rudiments of the game in all departments. Cricket is not just about batting and bowling. There is fielding and wicket-keeping too. Ability to demonstrate is paramount. These days too many academies and summer camps have mushroomed and they are selling false dreams to parents and children. The bubble will burst soon," Bhardwaj says candidly.

Till the bubble bursts, panes will continue to be the targets of future Tendulkars and Dhonis. The parents do not mind. Neither do the architects of these summer camps, who make the most of the mind-blowing passion for cricket in India.

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