Field report: Batting with caution News Archive News

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Written by Shivani Naik

January 22, 2006 12:00 AM IST

IT helps to be assured that newspapers will never go out of fashion.

So what if the attestation comes from a 13-year-old pocket-sized hero of the previous day at Mumbai8217;s eminent Giles Shield schools cricket tournament. Proud of the pen-pic that a daily has carried alongside his name in a 14-point headline, Jaideep Pardesi is still basking in the afterglow of his 4215;10 cm of fame, and readily parts with the 50 rupees promised in treat to his friends.

The youngster looks promising after his knock of 187 and could be only a few centuries away from the big stage and the bigger bucks.

But so could many others, playing at this moment in the maidans across this city and across the country. And father Deepak Pardesi admits it is a very tough call to make, whether to let his son devote these years to cricket or keep that regulation career in engineering on standby. 8216;8216;One wrong decision by the umpire can halt a career, many cricket dreams have gone sour. The money might just tilt the balance but I insist he studies well,8217;8217; says the father.

There is no indecision for Ashok Semlani, whose son Ronish 11 manages a respectable 80 per cent in class and goes a step higher scoring a fighting hundred on the field. 8216;8216;If he loves it, and can perform, he has all my backing as long as he wants to play; the money he earns from it later is irrelevant,8217;8217; says Ashok Semlani, the lad8217;s carpet-merchant father.

But Prateek Gawli8217;s father doesn8217;t sell expensive carpets, and Prateek8217;s last kit-upgradation 8212; better spikes, bigger shoes, longer trousers and a branded bat 8212; pushed up Manoj Gawli8217;s Diwali spending by Rs 7000.

8216;8216;Even middle class homes support cricket these days, but to encourage cricket as a full-time career, the money would have to seep down to the hundreds of clubs since that8217;s where most of them will land up while still on the fringes,8217;8217; Gawli Sr says.

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Bhargav Bhatt backs his son Nishad, a team captain at school, because his own father once refused him a pair of new pads as a teenager with some plain-speaking. 8216;8216;8216;What is the probability of you getting into a squad with 7000 jostling for the 11 spots ?8217; he used to say, referring to the boy8217;s chances of making the national team.

But his backing is tempered by some typical Gujarati caution. 8216;8216;Even now if a Ranji player earns Rs 1 lakh per match, you8217;d need to be in the best team and play all matches upto the final to earn enough8217;8217;.

Despite the math not quite adding up, Bhatt believes that were the cash to enter the second rung of domestic cricket it would help cricketers who seek job satisfaction and a decent standard of living through the game. 8216;8216;If a club player can get financially independent from his parents after 18, when he really needs the money, then it is worth it. Parents can then truly back the kids,8217;8217; he says.

Pottering around with his bat while his father makes business-sense of cricket Bhatt Junior, though, still fancies getting into that newspaper column, and smiling back at his mug-shot.

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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