Small steps to big dreams

His son,scrawny 14-year-old Ramesh Kumar,is among the many aspiring cricketers who have turned up at the state capital from the various districts around Uttar Pradesh to emulate the likes of Suresh Raina and RP Singh by getting into one of the three prestigious sports hostels in the state. And Prakash,who has taken the risk of leaving his fields unguarded and made the long train journey with his son for the three-day trials,is desperate Ramesh manages to achieve his dream.

Work is on at fever pitch at the number of monuments under construction just outside Lucknow’s Amausi Airport,but it is the Guru Gobind Sports College on Kursi Road — some 30 km away — where all the action is centred. The sports hostels of Uttar Pradesh have taken on assembly line proportions in recent years,and aspirants cutting across social and cultural divides are smattered around the park.

Twelve-year-old Virendra Kumar,for example,is not accompanied by a parent and has made the trip from Amethi with a couple of friends in a chauffer-driven Maruti Alto. He frequently walks towards the car — parked in the shade — for his regular dose of rehydrating refreshments (handed out by his driver),and updates his father,a businessman,about his progress on the cellphone.

“My first love is to play for Delhi,but I have attended the junior trials for UP,Rajasthan and Delhi. I simply want to play cricket and it doesn’t matter which team I am playing for,” insists the bulky fast bowler,who dons the Delhi Daredevils uniform,wiping away the remnants of Glucon-D off his face.

Tribulations for the trials

While a majority of the youngsters — most clad in various shades of white — have already started preparing for the strenuous tests that lie ahead,some are huddled up in groups and are catching up on lost sleep after having made long journeys from their hometowns to the capital.

“This was supposed to have been held in Meerut originally and the venue was changed very late. A number of us had to make last-gasp arrangements,which included travelling in general compartments,to get here on time,” says 14-year-old Atul Sharma,a wicketkeeper from Ghaziabad.

B S Negi works for a small firm in Ghaziabad and has taken six days off from work to be with son Sanjay,who he feels is a genuine talent. “We were in Meerut for two days and then had to come all the way here. He hasn’t gotten enough sleep and I hope he manages to perform to the best of his ability,” says the worried father.

By mid-day,around 450 enthusiastic cricketers between the ages of 12 and 15 (though some seem to have matured much quicker than the rest) have assembled at the athletics stadium inside the facility and will remain there for the next three days.

Changing faces

For a long time,UP cricket was dominated by players coming from the bigger cities — Lucknow,Meerut or Kanpur — but hope has risen for those from the smaller centres with the emergence of youngsters like Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Sudeep Tyagi,who has a central contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and made an impression in the IPL’s second edition.

Chandrakant More and Prakash Maurya,who hail from Binoi and are part of the Mirzapur mandal,spent the night before the trials at the bus-stand with 13 others. “We reached really late and couldn’t afford to stay anywhere else. We even managed to bathe and freshen up at the public toilets over there,” says More.

District Sports Officer (DSO) of the Mathura district,and chairman of the selection committee for the Kanpur hostel,Samarish Somal,considers the increasing number of televisions in rural areas as the main reason for the number of people taking up cricket seriously. “Cricket has certainly become a serious career option for youngsters here and a majority of parents have acknowledged that. There is so much money and fame to be earned through the sport,it’s no wonder so many are attracted towards it,” he says.

Somal adds that the success of UP in the Ranji Trophy — three finals in four years — had also played an important role as it brought the likes of Raina,RP and Mohammad Kaif into the limelight. “There has been a rapid rise in the number of kids who come for the trials these days,and the success of the hostel has been the sole reason for that,” explains Somal.

Thirteen-year-old Anuj Pal,who hails from Muzaffarnagar,believes that he can definitely secure a decent future for himself if he manages to get through to the hostel. “Look at the guys who have come out of there and gone on to play for the country. It is an amazing place,” he insists.

Just as the hopefuls are being put through their first grind — a shuttle race — Somal gives a theory about kids coming from the villages. Youngsters coming from the smaller centres,he says,are more eager to soak in the knowledge and also have better stamina.

“Kids from the cities generally tend to walk around with raised collars and do sometimes have attitude problems. But if the lesser-privileged ones are guided in the right direction,they can go a long way,” he explains. “But if the players do not reach a certain level within three years of getting admitted to the hostel,they will be kicked out promptly,” adds Somal.

Hopes and expectations

Uttkarsh Devsen,who insists that he isn’t a Muttiah Muralitharan fan despite having a bowling action that is distinctly similar to the Sri Lankan’s,adds that having someone to look up to in your hometown is a great motivation. “For someone from Rae Bareli,watching RP bowl is fantastic. Generally,players from the rural areas are extremely skilled,but at the same time very raw,” says the 14-year-old off-spinner from Kanpur.

While gaining an entry into the hostels is the predominant drive for everyone present at the Guru Gobind Sports College,Mohammad Ismael,who has come here with his entire family — wife,son and two toddlers — has his own added motivation for making the long trip Allahabad.

“Obviously we are all hoping that Hasan Ahmed (his son) gets selected. The amount of money that is involved with cricket these days,it is difficult for any parent to resist the temptation to push their child into the sport. But there is no pressure on him,” says Ismael. Fifteen minutes later,Ismael is seen urging Hasan on during the 100m sprint,and then pumping his fists as the 15-year-old finishes first. No pressure,son.

Fault lines

Though hope and expectation are the dominant themes,there is certainly an air of cynicism among both aspirants and parents apparent at the trials. A number of them hint that money and power often end up being the riding factors at the end of the day. “Well,most of the slots are always filled up prior to the trials and the rest simply come here hoping for a miracle,” says 15-year-old Abhishek Verma from Agra.

Verma says he has been past the trial stage twice before but never managed to actually get admission. “I even received a letter from Kanpur last year,but found that my name had been replaced,” he says.

Somal insists that the situation regarding discrimination during selection trials had improved drastically over the years,and is one of the main reasons for the UP team doing well. “The scenario during my playing days was extremely lousy,where only guys with influence could manage to get into the team. But now,even players without backing are getting opportunities to show their wares at higher levels,” says Somal.

Most of them may have had to endure painful and long journeys to get here and for a number of them,this might end up being a futile exercise — especially those who could only manage to complete 400m in the 800m race. Uncertainty looms large over the whole process anyway,as it would in any exercise that looks to cut down a list of more than 400 down to 20-25 on mostly subjective parameters.

But the prize that they’re fighting for is one that seems like it’s worth the trouble. By making this journey,Dinesh Prakash — dressed in his traditional garb and holding up a faded 7-UP bottle — might be risking his farms for his son’s future; but there’s a reason he’s taking the chance. “I was never interested in cricket but saved enough money to buy a TV for his sake. If he does succeed here,it may change our lives.”

Going through the grind,even before making it to the hostels

• Under-14 and under-16 boys have to pass the selection trials in their district before appearing for the regional or ‘mandal’ selection trials,and finally 15 of them will represent their ‘mandal’ at the state selection.

• The bunch of 400-odd aspirants at Lucknow will be pruned down to 45-50 after being put through a physical and skill-based selection process over the three days. These players will be a part of a camp from which 20-25 will get admitted into one of the three sports hostels in Kanpur,Lucknow and Meerut.

• Admission at the hostels is completely free and the player’s needs are taken care of by the government,including education. Players are provided with Rs 100 per day diet,and they have to practise twice a day. “At the end of their term they are ready to represent the state and are in supreme physical condition,” says Samarish Somal,Mathura District Sports Officer.

• The alumni of UP’s hostel system include the likes of Mohammad Kaif,Suresh Raina and RP Singh. Most of the cricketers in the present UP Ranji team have also been part of the hostel,including Sudeep Tyagi,who played for the Chennai Super Kings,and under-19 World Cup winner Tanmay Srivastava.