Cricket’s Maharaj comes back to his para

It was the ground where Saurav made his debut as a cricketer playing for the second-division Barisha Sporting when he was 13 years old. His family has been patronising the club for the last 100 years.

Not many cricketers with the stature and status of Saurav would think of playing in a ground like this. “But it was probably nostalgia that brought Saurav back to this old ground today,” said one of his teammates.

Ever since Saurav shot into the limelight, the area surrounding his home in Behala has witnessed a spurt in cricket activities with children taking to the game and attending coaching camps. Today, their enthusiasm shot up a few notches as their idol fielded, batted and ran “live” not on television screens but right in front of their eyes. Today was the day for neighbourhood cricket fans who turned up in hordes on bicycles.

They stood all through the match on the narrow strip alongside the ground. Private buses on the road stopped by for a minute or two with passengers craning their necks out for a glimpse of the Indian captain.

It was not Saurav who captained the team. Prabir Acharya, the captain for Barisha, was proud that “Saurav made the match look like a walkover for us.”

“Sourav refused to open the batting as that would upset the normal opening partners in our team in subsequent matches,” said Acharya. But coming in at No. 5, Saurav scored a quickfire 45 in 25 balls with four hits to the fence and four over it. His blowing figures read: 9-1-38-1.

Batting first, Dakshin Kolkata Sanshad, a first division outfit scored 199 in 45 overs. Barisha’s beginning was shaky with two wickets down for just 8 on the scoreboard. When Sourav came in it was just over 100 for three. “But Maharaj began hitting all around with his usual flourish before getting out at long on, trying to hit a six,” said Ruchir Bose, the cricket secretary of the Barisha Sporting. Barisha needed only 6 runs to win when Saurav left. The team romped home to victory in just 31.3 overs.

Says rival captain Kalyan Dhal, who has played with Saurav in Mohun Bagan for three years: “It was Maharaj who made the difference. My players were overawed.” “He certainly inspired his side. The scorecard says it all,”he added.