Cricket, academics and a home under one roof

Conceived along the lines of the Rajasthan Cricket Academy and the vision taken forward by the BCCI and Vidarbha Cricket Association president Shashank Manohar, the old cricket stadium at the Civil Lines here now houses one of the very few association-run residential cricket academies in the country. Nilankur Das reports...

Conceived along the lines of the Rajasthan Cricket Academy and the vision taken forward by the BCCI and Vidarbha Cricket Association president Shashank Manohar, the old cricket stadium at the Civil Lines here now houses one of the very few association-run residential cricket academies in the country.

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Just about six months old, the Vidarbha Cricket Academy was set up to hone and nurture talent in the region mainly around Nagpur and Amravati divisions and provide a supply line for the Ranji Trophy team, which is currently in the Plate Division.

"Initially the idea is to help bolster the Ranji Trophy and age-group teams. The long-term plan is to start producing international cricketers," Subroto Banerjee, assistant-coach and is in charge of bowling at the academy, said.

At the moment, there are 55 boys between the age-group of 14 to 19 including "three very talented 12 year-olds". "The unique thing is the VCA has arranged for education for all the trainees and that would come as a backup if the boys fail to make a career out of cricket in the future," Banerjee said. "Our president has categorically told the boys that education is a must and the boys would have to discontinue their cricket if lapses in studies are noticed," the former Test player added.

The boys who have passed the secondary board examinations have been admitted to the Ambedkar College and the younger ones go to the Bishop Cotton School and the Modern School.

All the trainees have been hand-picked from the villages around here by Banerjee and Australian head coach Neil D'Costa, who has been the mentor to Michael Clarke and had been coaching with Banerjee in Sydney. The two, with Sulakshan Kulkarni, the batting coach, impart training to the boys twice a day, five days a week.

With all the facilities present - a state of the art indoor stadium, swimming pool, yoga room, gymnasium, cricket library, video analysis room and viewing gallery - and the VCA ground main and practice wickets at their disposal, Banerjee said the VCA would give boys two years to show a marked improvement. "If they don't, they would have to make way for fresh talent."