Pradeekumar Yadav

Akshay Wadkar: Keeper of faith By Pradeepkumar Yadav THE game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beat because of lack of effort. —Michael Jordan. The story of Akshay Wadkar, son of Vinod a head clerk in Morris College, is yet another example of a rags-to-riches tale. He never had the means and finances to take up a career in cricket. But solid support from his father and a helpful coach ensured that the talented wicketkeeper-batsman does not miss out on his dream. “My family was unable to pay my club fees. For several months I did not go to the club. But it was Madhav Bakre sir, founder and manager of Nagpur Cricket Academy (NCA) who helped me during that crisis. He did not charge any fees and if I was in need of any cricket material, he was the first person to help me,” Wadkar told ‘The Hitavada’ as he waited eagerly for the Ranji Trophy final to start in Indore from Friday. Bakre, too, was...