Off-field sessions

[1]

Many aspiring cricketers dream of rubbing shoulders with Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. But for this group of young and enthusiastic Bengalureans, this is a dream come true. A bunch of talented 18 to 22-year-old boys are picked to attend the net practice with the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Nitish P Deshmukh, an under-19 state player says, “Twenty best bowlers got selected from 60 nominees. We got accredited for net practice. I went last year for IPL as well.” The boys are expected to go to the stadium as per the players’ requirements to train. They have to train with the players a day before every match in the city and two hours before the match. With the reserve team that stays back in Bengaluru, they train every morning.

Most of these youngsters fancy bowling to AB de Villiers. Anirudh A Kasargod, an animation student says, “It is an honour, a delight and a lot of fun to bowl to ABD, I absolutely love it. The players try various shots to see what works for them. It is a great learning ground for us.” Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli are next in line. “I have played with most players but I love to bowl to AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. Chris Gayle is the jovial kind. He is hilarious and very entertaining. I am an off spinner and they give me tips,” says Madhusudan, a student.

The players give these youngsters tips on how to better their game. Nitish says, “This once, S Aravind gave me a tip that will always be with me. He told me what line and what length is best for me to bowl to get a wicket, keeping in mind that I am an in-swing bowler,” he says, adding, “Last week, they told me to field. Prashanth Parmeshwar was batting and Raju Bhatkal was bowling. I took a catch and everyone applauded me from the pavilion. This other time, I was bowling to Dilshan and he got bowled out.”

These boys dine with the players after the match. Nitish says, “After the practice session, we sit with Mayank Agarwal, S Aravind, Abhimanyu Mithun and a few other players in the pavilion and eat. Mayank is the most entertaining. The entire team is very encouraging. Venkatesh Prasad is the most encouraging of the lot.”

Madhusudan also acted in an advertisement with Vettori, Gayle and Kohli for a website. He says, “The ad was shot at the stadium one evening in three hours. It was tiring and I only remember being sleepy.” Last year the boys got Rs 18,000 to practice for the season.