February 19, 2008

Character over cover drive

Posted by Sanjay Bangar at on 02/19/2008 in

	JP Yadav: first-class cricket's Lance Armstrong © Getty Images

If we look around, we will find many people on the street going through enormous upheavals in their personal and professional lives, but they battle it out with smiles on their faces. I have been fortunate enough to be closely associated with some such players who have stood up to hardships, both personal and professional, and have shown immense resilience in overcoming their challenges.

Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred in a 1999 World Cup match after returning from his father’s funeral, and Anil Kumble’s turning out to bowl with a broken jaw in Antigua have been inspiring and well-documented. But here, I would like to elaborate on how three domestic players have displayed rare courage, and are still doing a good job for their sides. They are my team-mates: JP Yadav, Santosh Saxena and Kulamani Parida.

We have all read about how Lance Armstrong won his battle against cancer before he conquered the cycling summit. But very few know that Yadav was diagnosed with a tumour in the area above his heart around the year 2000. He was referred to a cancer hospital in Mumbai by his doctors in Bhopal, where he underwent three cycles of chemotherapy. During this period he had to suffer all the after-effects and hardships of chemotherapy. He lost nearly 15 kgs, and was advised to stay away from the cricket field for one-and-a-half years even if the tumour didn’t recur.

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January 25, 2008

Ranji v Duleep

Posted by Paras Mhambrey at on 01/25/2008 in

	Players generally value the state team’s success more, but the standard of cricket in Duleep Trophy is better © Cricinfo Magazine

Everyone has a reason for playing cricket. Some play because their friends also play, some start with a single-minded focus of playing for the country. There are various steps one goes through before getting to that ultimate goal.

In Mumbai, cricket is big at junior levels: even playing for a school like Shardashram, where Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli played, is a matter of pride. Harris Shield, Giles Shield and other such tournaments are very competitive. After having played at those levels, one moves to age groups and then becomes one of the probables for Ranji Trophy. For a youngster that is a big thing, because that is one step below playing for the state, becoming a first-class cricketer.

I remember when I got picked for the Under-17 side, I saw it with a lot of pride. When I was handed the cap with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) logo on it, it was a big thing for me. Every thing since then – collecting newspaper clippings, conversations with friends, et al – was a motivation for playing for Mumbai. With such a journey to playing for the state, one inevitably values every moment and success with the state team.

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