Proud parents bask in their sons’ glory. #pkyblog #pkyvlog

Proud parents bask in their sons’ glory

By Pradeepkumar Yadav

PRIDE in own’s child is one thing on which parenthood thrives. It shoots like a rocket when the children become toast of a society. It is an out of the world feeling for the dads and moms when their kid is hailed as a hero. This Vidarbha team that wrote a Red Letter Day for the region by winning the Ranji Trophy title has many heroes who have earned their fame. Their parents are now on Cloud Nine, eager to welcome their sons and hear their amazing story of triumph.

‘The Hitavada’ spoke to a few about the feeling when Team Vidarbha lifted their biggest cricketing title at Holkar Stadium in Indore.

Aditya has his own world: Anushree Sarvate

ADITYA Sarvate was one of the key members for Vidarbha on third day of the Ranji final. Along with Akshay Wadkar he formed a duo that held on for the first innings lead. It was their partnership that gave Vidarbha a boost to kiss the trophy.

“Aditya is very shy. He does not mingle with anyone easily. But at early age he took the full responsibility of family. He has never complained about anything,” said Anushree Sarvate, who is proud to have son like Aditya.

All those who know Aditya also know he is a hard worker. Throw him a challenge and he will do it for you, they say. Aditya has proved this twice for Vidarbha. In the match against Bengal the way he performed with bat was extraordinary.

Aditya’s father, Anand, is bedridden for the last 20 years but he never shied from his goal of becoming a cricketer. Despite this struggle, Aditya fought hard and represented Vidarbha. He took a five-wicket haul on debut.

“When he was four years old his father met with accident and suffered head injury. Since then he has learned to fight with life,” Anushree narrated the tragedy the family suffered.

At the age of 19 Aditya cracked the clerk exam. But his dream was to become a cricketer. He convinced his mother and started working hard to achieve his dream.

“Till Std 10th Aditya was not serious towards cricket. But as he went to Praveen Hinganikar Cricket Academy (PHCA) he started devoting his life towards cricket. He also got a job in AG office because of his cricket,” his mother added.

Asked about Aditya’s marriage, Anushree smiled and said, “All my relatives ask me the same question. Aditya tells me to wait for two more years. This is his standard reply from last five years!,” she chuckled.

Anushree knows well Aditya will marry once he turns 28. Reason? “Because his father also married me at the age of 28. So he also wants to solemnise his marriage after 28.”

Sanjay was always dedicated towards cricket: Latha Raghunathan

SANJAY Ramaswamy was weak in his studies but his parents gave him full freedom to play cricket. The youngster went through many ups and downs but never lost hope. This season he was one of the success stories of Vidarbha cricket. Sanjay scored 775 runs in 9 matches to become the third highest scorer of the tournament after skipper Faiz Fazal.

“It was the dream of Sanjay’s father that he should become a cricketer,” informed Latha Raghunathan, his mother. Latha is a teacher at Saraswati Vidyalaya, Shankar Nagar.

“His father is a big fan of cricket. He always wanted his elder son, Ajay to become a cricketer. In fact, he also named him after Indian star Ajay Jadeja. But Ajay was good at studies and went for higher studies. Sanjay then became his hope and he started him coaching at home itself,” recalled Latha.

While in Class IX Sanjay was selected for VCA Academy. Adjusting both studies and cricket was getting impossible for him. Despite that he scored first class in the matriculation.

“I would like to thank VCA officials for giving my child a new path and road to success. After getting selected for Academy, Sanjay could not concentrate properly on his studies. I used to call him to wake up. I also used to arrange notes and complete his homework too,” the proud mother said.

Latha had to use the telephone to teach her son. “Sanjay did not want to go for tuitions. He asked me to teach English grammar, so I used to teach him on phone for hours. As a result my telephone bill shot up,” she laughed.

Siddhesh’s aggression is limited to cricket: Sunil Neral

Siddhesh Neral stood up to the challenge with both bat and ball in crucial games. The role he played in the final was one of the highlights of Vidarbha’s triumph. He took two crucial wickets in semi-final against Karnataka. Then in final he broke the important partnership of Manan Sharma and Dhruv Shorey. His quick 74 runs knock was useful in pushing Delhi on the backfoot. And the way he celebrated the half-century talked of the aggression in the young man.

“To tell you the truth, Siddhesh is not aggressive at home. He is very kind and shy person. His aggression comes out only on the cricket field,” said Sunil Neral, Siddhesh’s father.

Siddhesh, nicknamed Tinku, is very popular in the friend circle.

“In our circle Tinku behave likes a Don. His PJs make us roll over. He is very emotional and cares for everyone. And he is very punctual too,” said Aatima Bhatia, childhood friend of Siddhesh.

Rajneesh always loved cricket ball: Divya Gurbani

Rajneesh Gurbani created a unique record of being the Man of the Match in quarter-final, semi-final and final of the Ranji Trophy. He took 39 wickets in six matches to become the second highest wicket-taker in Ranji trophy. Already termed as the next big thing in Indian cricket Rajneesh was always fond of bowling since childhood.

“When Tinkle (nickname of Rajneesh) was one year old, he was fond of balls. Let it be a cricket ball or football he used to get happy on getting one. I never brought any car or toys for him,” said Divya Gurbani, Rajneesh’s mother.

Divya, who is Principal of Sindhi Hindi High School, Garoba Maidan, thanked the people around Rajneesh for standing by him.

“I want to thank VCA coaches and support staff for their support. They kept faith in him,” she said.

Rajneesh’s cousin, Jayata Rai, let out another secret of him muttering in sleep. 

“Even in deep sleep he (Rajneesh) keeps on murmuring ‘bhai ball daal ball,” laughed Jayata.

“Rajneesh never accepted this fact. So we recorded his talk and made him listen to it, Jayata added.

Jayata was proud of her Rajneesh’s feat. They are now planning a nightout as soon as he comes home. “We all cousins gather for parties. We sit and talk for hours and it is then we see Rajneesh dozing off and soon stars his murmur,” Jayata smiled.

Cricket is a way of life for Akshay: Vinod Wadkar

Akshay Wadkar’s century in the final was the difference between Vidarbha and Delhi. It was an innings worth its weight in gold. Wadkar ended up with 308 runs in four matches.

It was his father, Vinod, who helps him before the match. “At night after having dinner, I bowl him nearly 40 to 50 balls. That’s  how he prepares before a match,” said Vinod.

Akshay’s brother Alok who is in U-13 cricket team of Nagpur Cricket Academy (NCA) is following his brother’s footsteps. Alok is also a wicketkeeper batsman of his club team.

“Alok wants to become like his brother. The difference between them is Akshay is silent and has more patience while Alok is aggressive in cricket field,” Wadkar Sr added.

Cricket is a way of life for Akshay. Ask his friends and they talk about his passion for the game. And they also hail the kind heart that Akshay has.

“Akshay is very caring, humble and shy person. For cricket, he can do anything. He skips many parties or leaves midway. But whenever I need help he is the first person to stand for me,” said Shrutika Kedar, Akshay’s college friend.

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