Eight years ago,this IPL hero almost lost

However,for three people in particular — Partha Iyengar,Shekhar Bhonagiri and Arun Nahar — this was a special moment.

Nearly eight years ago,they had fought and won a case for Dole that helped him further his blossoming career while in school.

In 2001,when Dole was in Class IX in Loyola High School,he was selected to represent Maharashtra in the Cooch Behar Trophy. This was a big step in the budding cricketer’s career.

However,Dole’s excitement was short-lived as his school refused to grant him leave to play the tournament. The reason cited by the school authorities was that cricket was not in the list of games played by the school. But Dole,who did not want to miss out on the opportunity,went ahead with his plans and played the tournament.

On his return,he was suspended indefinitely by the school authorities.

Iyengar,Bhonagiri and Nahar,members of the Parent Teacher Association,took up the issue with the authorities,but to no avail. They then helped Dole in filing a case against the school in the civil court.

They won the case and though the school appealed against the verdict,his suspension was overturned. Dole went on to become one of Maharashtra’s key pace bowlers.

On Monday,he proved his worth in the IPL for his team ,the Rajasthan Royals. Bhonagiri,a legal consultant,who watched the match at his residence in Aundh,was pleased to see the youth perform well.

“Any good performance from Pune will be cheered on by me,but in Aditya’s case it was extra special,” he said.

For Iyengar,an executive with Gartner Analysts,justice was served.

“We felt it was unjust that the school discouraged Dole from his passion just because they didn’t play the sport. Every child’s interest,whatever it may be,should be encouraged,” he said.

“I am happy that our efforts paid rich dividends on Monday,” he added.

Agreeing with this view,Nahar,head of Aditya Appliances Pvt Ltd,said,“It was great to see the unity among the parents who had enrolled their wards in the school.”