Journalism of Courage
In India, there is no dearth of amateur cricketers thronging the city grounds on the evenings. Many grow up with the dream of playing for the national team. Latur’s Virag Mare was no exception. To try his luck, he even went to meet Ramakant Achrekar, the famous coach who crafted players like Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar and Vinod Kambli, in Mumbai in 2008.
Mare practised at Achrekar’s academy for a few months, but had to leave the city due to financial difficulties. A few years later, he shifted to Pune to pursue higher education. To fund studies, he started a vada pao and juice stall. But while juggling with studies and work, he didn’t lose his passion for cricket.
In 2013, Mare heard of a Guinness World Record set by a British graduate at The Oval cricket ground. Alby Shale, a 22-year-old from Oxfordshire, had batted continuously for 26 hours, breaking the 25-hour record of an Australian. Mare immediately began preparations to break Shale’s record.
“I used to practice at SP College ground for hours. Sometimes, people who came for morning walks found me practising even in the evening. Many tried to stop me, suggesting that spending too much time on the ground would negatively affect my stamina. I used to practice at home with a hanging ball,” says the 24-year-old.
But just when Mare thought he was good enough to break the record, Richard Wells and Dave Newman, both from Sleaford in Lincolnshire of UK, set the longest individual net session record of 48 hours and two seconds from January 30 to February 1.
Mare was disappointed to find out that the record was broken, but refused to give up. “I immediately thought that I should aim for more than 48 hours,” he says. Mare’s practice sessions grew intense and soon he was able to touch 40 hours, extending to 48 hours in a couple of months. Last month, he decided that he would attempt to break the record in December and informed the same to Guinness officials.
Mare would begin at Malaxmi Lawns near Rajaram Bridge on Sinhagad Road at 6.45 am on December 22, and would complete the challenge on the morning of December 24. During these 48 hours, he would face actual bowlers as well as the bowling machine. As per Guinness rules, the bowling has to be at a consistent rate.
After each successful hour, the player can take a break of five minutes to re-energise. The breaks can also be accumulated and used once. Mare says that he would bat continuously for five hours and then take a break of 25 minutes. “I know that I can play for five hours without halting; maybe even more than that, but five hours for sure.”
No Guinness official would be present for the attempt as the fee for an official witness is $500 and Mare says that he can’t afford it. Instead, he has opted to videograph the entire event and submit it. When Newman and Wells set the record of 48 hours, British Prime Minister David Cameron had come to cheer for them. Though Mare doesn’t expect the Indian Prime Minister to come to Pune, he says that he would love to hear the crowd cheering for him.
