An even playing field: Cricket academy in Dharamsala for young women
IT’S five in the evening and a pair of young feet squeak on the lush green carpet of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium in Dharamsala. Flanked by the gorgeous Dhauladar range, the HPCA can best be described as India’s answer to Newlands on the foothills of the majestic Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. At the far end of this picturesque ground, a teen takes stance. As the ball is delivered, she reaches out to play an expansive off-drive. Thwack! She creams it with disdain and turns to square-leg to gauge the reaction of coach Veena Pandey, who voices her appreciation. Natasha Negi, gears up to face the next delivery.
Negi, 14, was always fascinated by cricket and spent her childhood following the sport in the hilly terrains of Kinnaur. If she was not watching it on television, rooting vociferously for her favourite player MS Dhoni, she was out playing the game with her friends. Seeing her unbridled passion for the game, her mother Yashoda, who works part-time at a telecom company, conducted a rudimentary search and found out about the academy in Dharamsala that trains aspiring female cricketers. When the dates for the trials were announced three months ago, she decided to take her daughter there, hoping she would get an opportunity to turn her dream into reality.
Twenty-two year old Sushma Verma from Shimla is the academy’s biggest success story so far.
Set up in 2009 by BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, the academy, the only one in Himachal Pradesh, has state-of-the-art facilities, including residential quarters for outstation players, a big draw for those coming in from afar. Every year in April, the HPCA conducts trials at several key locations such as Dharamsala, Una and Shimla. At present, there are 27 girls at the centre between the ages of 10 and 19. After the selection, the girls are trained for the U-19 level that includes frequent zonal matches to lend them exposure. Negi is their newest member.
Early last month, when the mother-daughter duo made the long trek from Kinnaur to Dharamsala, there was a sense of pride in them. A single mother, Yashoda has worked her way through a messy separation while bringing up her two daughters and Negi’s inclusion at the academy has bolstered their confidence. “I want to become an international cricketer to show my father that I can achieve something in life. Most of all, I want to keep my mother and sister happy,” chirps Negi. She has settled into the rhythm at the academy, looking forward to her daily training sessions and the easy camaraderie with the other girls.
Veena Pandey, the academy’s head coach who has been nurturing young talent for over six years now, says their biggest challenge has been in convincing people to send their daughters to play. HPCA representatives have been conducting intensive door-to-door awareness campaign in schools and neighbourhoods. During summer vacations, trials are organised at several centres . Girls are monitored for fitness, speed and endurance in accordance with BCCI guidelines. “Girls in Himachal have always had a passion for the sport. What was lacking, in most cases, was the willingness on part of the parents to send their daughters to focus exclusively on cricket. That mindset is changing,” she says.
A practice match at the academy.
Cricket is the main thrust at this academy, but education is equally important. Once selected, HPCA gets the wards admitted to schools in the vicinity. A structured time-table is followed, with equal emphasis on cricket and academics. During examinations, practices are foregone and vacations are spent at home.
Sushma Verma from Shimla is the academy’s biggest success story so far. A dashing middle-order player and a wicket-keeper in the women’s national team, the 22-year-old has grown up idolising Adam Gilchrist and Sachin Tendulkar. A cricket enthusiast, Verma played handball and badminton actively before she came across an advertisement for trials at the HPCA. Her sports-loving parents did not need much convincing and Verma made the shift from Shimla to Dharamsala easily. There, she enrolled for a BA (Hons) course at the local DAV College and spent “three of the most fulfilling years” of her life at the academy. “The set-up was great, the training was methodical. The biggest challenge for me was to make the switch from handball to cricket. I had never played with a leather ball before. However, with time, I got used to it and grew in confidence ,” she says. Before Verma turned 19, she was playing for India’s junior team and in a year since she left the academy, she has become a regular in the India senior team.
Many youngsters are now hoping to follow Verma’s footsteps to fame. Anisha Ansari, another product of the academy, has already made the leap from the U-19 team to the senior side. But unlike Verma, she has not been able to cement her spot in the national side. Una native Prachi Chauhan, daughter of a contractor, says she was inspired by Verma’s exploits to join the academy. “Even before I joined the academy, I had heard of her. Like her, I hope to play for the Indian team someday,” says the swing bowler who has her sights set on the upcoming Zonal Cricket Association (ZCA) matches scheduled to begin in July.
By now, it’s 6.30 in the evening and the shadows are lengthening over the stadium. Pandey instructs her wards to undergo one final round of drill before calling it a day. As the sun disappears behind the Dhauladar, and darkness envelops the HPCA stadium, all you hear is the sound of eager young feet ready to make their dreams come true.
