Cricket academy opening sees stars and a lonely Kapil

The recent match-fixing allegations seem to have robbed the toothy smile that had, through his Palmolive advertisement, caught the attention of even those not even remotely interested in cricket.

Although he obliged scores of autograph-hunters and camerapersons, Kapil Dev refused to utter a word on the controversial issue, despite being pestered by several mediapersons.

All he did was nod his head. Not a word.

Even as coach Gurcharan Singh and Delhi Development Authority officials tried to cordon of the area by clearing the star-struck cricket-lovers, Kapil Dev remained seated.

Ajay Jadeja, who was swarmed by enthusiastic youngsters as soon as he arrived on the scene, however, milled with the crowd, obliging the autograph and photograph-hunters with his famous smile.

Although he too refused to say anything on match-fixing, there was not a trace of any tension or pressure because of the controversy in which his name has also been dragged.

Besides Kapil Dev and Jadeja, there were Nikhil Chopra, Gagan Khoda, Rahul Sanghvi, Gursharan Singh and Vivek Razdan all of whom have been trained at some point or the other by coach Gurcharan Singh. Several Ranji Trophy players also made it a point to attend the inaugural function to give their full-hearted support to the man who had always been their friend and guide.

Also present were some of the cricket coaches attached with various stadia in the Capital.

The Dronacharya Cricket Foundation, inaugurated by former Union Minister Buta Singh, will cater to the needs of aspiring cricketers of East Delhi.

To begin with, a fortnight-long `talent hunt camp’ will be held to shortlist boys for admission to the foundation.

Three turf wickets and two cemented wickets have already been prepared for the youngsters to exhibit their talents.