A cricket school for Generation Next

AHMEDABAD, Aug 5: There's hope at last for that perennial victim of infant mortality: Ahmedabad cricket. Too often, the promise shown at ...

AHMEDABAD, Aug 5: There8217;s hope at last for that perennial victim of infant mortality: Ahmedabad cricket. Too often, the promise shown at the beginners8217; level has been bogged down by the weight of adolescence and prevented from blossoming to maturity. The Shishir Hattangadi cricket academy a working title, soon to open shutters in the city, aims at redressing that ailment using innovation, scientific backup and a host of star consultants.

Hattangadi, the perennial enthusiast, promises not just cricketers. 8220;We have plans to rope in dieticians, sports medicine experts, umpires, groundsmen for monthly lecturesquot;. So a multi-cuisine menu, as it were.

The academy 8212; set up with the support of The Indian Express 8212; will focus on developing mental strength, the ability to play under pressure and a love of the game 8212; apart from the more conventional skills 8212; among the 8-10 age group. quot;Cricket these days has developed into a mind game. Just honing skills isn8217;t the end of the road; the mental make-up is also important,quot; he says. It doesn8217;t come as a surprise, then, when you discover that he8217;s modelled his school located behind the Sports Club of Gujarat on the Australian Cricket Academy, where mental toughness is a way of life.

Hattangadi calls himself a coach with a learner8217;s license-plate. quot;The bigger the pool, the more water it can sustain. With an array of experts, the kids will have a sea of information to swim in high tide,quot; he says.

So who are the experts? Gujarat Ranji Trophy skipper Mukund Parmar along with first class cricketers Chetan Mankad and Umesh Belsare, to begin with; they8217;ll be assisted by two qualified national coaches. They are merely appetisers; the main course is likely to include Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Ajay Jadeja, with the odd blast from the past lending the weight of valuable experience.

And they will be working on a talent pool drawn not from the elite of Ahmedabad, but from lanes and by-lanes, and even from the rural areas.

Most academies suffer from a frog-in-the-well syndrome; not this one. There are comprehensive travel plans, falling under the Exposure package, including trips to Mumbai and possibly to England to get over the fear of away games. quot;It8217;s not enough how well you play in your own backyard; your performance in someone else8217;s backyard counts as much,quot; says Hattangadi. Words of wisdom from someone who8217;s played all over the country and done stints in England and Scotland.

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One final question. How can a man who never played Test cricket start a coaching academy? quot;I know what it takes to make it to the Test squad. I have closely observed and interacted with those who8217;ve made it.8221; Moreover, one can8217;t argue with the wealth of experience at his command; 11 years of Ranji Trophy cricket with Mumbai and a first-class debut as fellow-opener to Sunil Gavaskar.

The man obviously knows the road to top-level cricket. For directions on how to get there, a stint at his academy wouldn8217;t do you any harm.

Sandeep Dwivedi

Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports. Professional Profile Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website. Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week. Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports. Areas of Expertise While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas: Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant. Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes. Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara. Notable Recent Work & Themes Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success. Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War. The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game. Tenure and Experience Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations. You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More