It was fiesta mood all over the Mafatpura, utensils were trampled with spoons or whatever was in the hand, fire crackers were being exploded, it was Diwali in the month of June, and I myself alongside others was bopping and hopping to the rapture tunes of utensils being beaten, India had prevailed over their staunch rivals Pakistan by 47 runs in the super six game of the 1999 – World Cup to maintain the unbeaten streak in the world cup against the arch challengers. Celebrations went on and on till late night; we danced till our legs got worn out.
“Is Maa here?” I asked entering a lush green verandah of a huge bungalow, where Maa used to work; a little boy of age around me was sitting with all the cricketing gear lying around him.
“Kaki, has gone with Dadi, if you want you can wait here.” He tone was very much gracious, as I sat there he got busy padding up.
“Caaaannnn I, see iiiii….. it?” I hesitatingly asked pointing towards a shining red colored ball lying out there
“What! Ball? Ohh sure take it!” I took the brand new red cherry, first time in my life. It was shining like a diamond, with large golden colors SG Test was embossed on to it, nice white colored seam was tempting, I was licking my lips seeing it.
“Can I bowl at you, only once?”
“You can bowl..!” He was surprised
“Oh, yes..! I am a very good bowler.” I tried to justify myself.
“Lets’ see…!” He said taking a glittering MRF Bat – same as used by the Little Master in his hand.
The little boy was marking his guard; I stood at the top of my bowling mark, trying to emulate the bowlers I saw on the television, I started rasping the brand new red ball with my grimy shorts using my saliva. Finally the boy was ready, I ran in with all my oomph and bowled, it was a dire delivery almost five to seven stumps away from where the batsman stood.
“What happened? This has never happened any time before, I have always been on target and even this time I bowled it straight only, how can bowl change the route on its own……!” I stood in doubt on the hard pitch made of cement as the kid tried to fetch the ball from the nylon nets.
“It’s not the regular rubber ball, its season ball and it swings.” I heard a powerful voice on my back, as I turned I saw a huge figure must be about six and half feet tall, strongly built body, his huge biceps were announcing themselves from a white colored half-sleeve T-shirt.
“Hold it like this; it’s called scrambled seam bowling. It will help you control the new ball at first.” He showed me exactly holding the ball in his hand.
I ran in, holding the ball the way I was taught, and the timber, stumps were rattled, the usual sight for me with the ball in my hand.
“O Boy..!! You can generate some pace. Well done.” As he patted my back, I proudly stood there, as if a king has conquered a fort.
“Hi, I am Sanjay Gaikwad, what is your name?”
“Lambu”
“Papa, he is the son of Bhuri Kaki!” the little boy jumped in-between.
“Lambu, what kind of name is that?”
“People call me that only, Lambu!”
“Okay forget it, I am the Bowling Coach of the Ranji team of Gujarat. If you want I can teach you some nuts and bolts of the bowling, I can see raw talent in you.” I wondered what this Ranji team is but I saw some glisten in his eyes, I just nodded in affirmative, I had no words at that minute.
“From tomorrow morning, sharp at six, I want you here.”
I was super excited the whole day, a person who is something at something called Ranji Team of the Gujarat, going to teach me how to bowl; that too with the ball on which cricketers are used to play and not the one with which we used to play (The Rubber Ball or a Plastic one called – ‘Dadi’).
Sabarmati was as calm as ever, the shadows of the street lights of the Gandhi Bridge created illusionary view in the little water in the river, it looked stunningly beautiful. I was lying down on the filthy river side, sky was crystal clear, not even a single cloud; each and every star was clearly visible alongside huge moon, “is it a full moon day?” I wondered gazing at the sky.
It must have been around half past eight, when stomach filaments pulled to let me know it was the time for the dinner. As I reached home, some shrieking and yelling were audible from outside only, Pappa was home bit early today, bit more drunk, bit more violent. As I went in front of the gate, I saw he was beating Maa violently, she was beseeching to leave her but that moron wasn’t listening at all, only language he knew was fists and punches and slaps and some very absurdly spoken abuses.
“Please, don’t take this jewellery; this is the only thing I have for Chhutki’s wedding. Please …!!” as Maa stiffened her grip on the jewellery, punches and fists started becoming more and more ferocious, She was pleading to leave her but that man who was regrettably my father was treating her as a roadside pig. After last slap on her cheek, I was able to see some blood driving its way out from her mouth, her hair were strewn all over her face; some them were stuck to her cheeks due to tears. She was the typical Indian lady; who considered his husband to be her god and that god was right now treating her to be some creepy-crawly creature and I couldn’t take that, not at all. Finally my endurance ended; I looked here and there hastily, just bit away from the place where I was standing; I saw a solid rock of the size of a normal cricket ball, without giving much contemplation, I picked it up, took an aim and………
“And it’s a Bulls-eye, Abhay had only one to stump to aim at from the mid-wicket, and he hits it directly to catch the treacherous looking Sanga inches short from his ground, wonderful stuff from the Indian Captain, he is leading from front in this all important final.” My eyes were closed, TV was still on and voice of some much known commentator hit my eardrum.
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15th March, 2001
The date written with the golden letters in the history of the Indian Cricket, coz on this very day Indians triumphed over mighty Australians breaking the unbeaten streak of 16 tests in a row, that to after following on. Very very Special innings came from VVS Laxman (281) in company with the typical one of the ‘WALL’- Rahul Dravid (180), and the winning flavor was added by the ‘Turbenator’ – Harbhajan taking 13 wickets including a hat trick on a final day of the match, to complete a sensational 171 run Indian victory.
It was a festive day at the Bangalore, MRF Pace Foundation. We all had a day off from the hardcore training, to watch the game and a feast there after in the honor of the victory of Team India. Analogous to this all famous test match my life also had turned upside down – 3600 in last two years. After dropping out from school, I had nothing to do except working on Budha Kaka’s tea stall in the morning and later on targeting three stumps with bowl in my hand on the riverside and with the help of Gaikwad sir I managed to do that quite effectively and efficiently. I was able to streak into the Probable for Ranji side just after six months of training with him (it was different that it was Gaikwad sir who was the reason for my inclusion; he was the one who somehow convinced selectors about my potential. Here in India you can’t get anything starting from your birth certificate to death certificate without preference given by some recognized person or bribing the officials forget about getting selected in the state cricket team), the GCA Officials after looking at me in the nets for almost one and half year, decided to send me to the official camp at the MRF Pace Foundation, Bangalore under the watchful eyes of none other than legendary Sir Denis Lillie. It was one of the most premier fast bowling coaching institute not only in India but whole world, the facilities out there were awesome, and it was commencement of the all together a new world to me, a new name also was given to me by this new world, ‘Abhay Rajput’; I wasn’t ‘Lambu’ anymore, I was Abby, Abhay Rajput.
Due to my pace and skills in bowling wicket to wicket, I had caught an eye of the head coach from very first day and I had become very much of favorite student of Lillie sir.
“Look, Abby you have got the raw talent but the problem with you is, your action is neither front on nor side on, technically it’s called mixed. It’s not ideal for a bowler with pace, likely problems are back injuries in long-run and the main problem is your momentum in your mixed action takes you in the wrong direction and that result in poor stability. The task ahead of us, is to make you bowl more of side on than mixed, it will aid your lethal in-swingers.” Lillie sir showed me exactly how my action was wrong and how it can be corrected by bowling more of side-on. He definitely was a rookie trainer, and unsympathetic as well on occasions.
Up came the days of sweating in the Bangalore heat with the red cherry in the hand and out crying of the bowling consultants for changing my action to make it more side on.
India Squad for touring South Africa for the Three Test and Five One Day Series announced, No surprises except a Young Gujju Quickie in the squad
21st June, 2001
Today evening, Squad for the Indian Team touring south Africa was announced, after such a splendid performance from team India against the mighty kangaroos at the home, claiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy hopes have been raised for their first ever win on the South-African soil. There are no major changes in the squad that battled Kangaroos at home except one that, Sixteen year old Gujju fast bowler Abhay Rajput fortunately made his way into the squad in place of injured Ajit Agarkar. He is yet to make his first class debut, but he has impressed bowling consultants including Chief – Denis Lille at the MRF Pace Foundation in his short stay there. It’s based on the recommendations of the Academy experts, he has been included in the squad said the spoke person. Let us see how well he can make an impact wearing the blue, but with Srinath, Prasad and Z. Khan already in the squad, I think he will only warm the bench, still it will be the experience of the lifetime for a sixteen year old quickie.
Squad :SC Ganguly (‘C), R. Dravid (VC), S. Ramesh, S. Das, S. Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, NR. Mongia (WK), D. Mongia, Robin Singh, Anil Kumble, H. Sigh, Z.Khan, J. Srinath, BKV Prasad, Abhay Rajput.
A few months before, I was a slum boy, running in bare foot on the filthy roads, practically doing nothing and today I was in the INDIAN CRICKET TEAM, yes I was amongst the Men in Blue, Life was never so kind, I was excited how would it be to be playing with those guys whom I have only seen on the television, whom I adored specially Dada, he was like god to me. I was happy yet confused, thrilled yet baffled, overwhelmed yet perplexed.
“Is the worst behind me or yet to come?” That was the first night I didn’t slept, Bangalore sky looked great in the night.
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Here, I was with the Men in Blue at the Johannesburg, the largest city in the South Africa, also known as Jozi or Jo’Burg locally. Johannesburg may not be built on a river or harbor, but its streams are the source of two of southern Africa’s mightiest rivers. A number of streams meander through the suburbs of Johannesburg, and form the source of two of southern Africa’s primary rivers – the Limpopo and the Orange.
At the beginning I was very very nervous & uncomfortable with the team but within a few moments, I got normal. There was nothing special, nothing to worry about, they were fun loving, normal human beings same as me; they were decent and soothing; slowly and steadily I started feeling comfortable. We were wandering here and there in the Jo’burg Botanical Garden also known as Rose Park, wonderful fragrance of the Roses was in the air, beauty of roses were satisfying for the eyes, I was fascinated to see these much different species of the Roses, Pink, Yellow, Red, White, Orange and even Black Roses were there.
“You know, Zak I am very much lucky person, I didn’t even went out of the Mafatpura whole my life so far and today I am here in some other country, wandering in the one of the most beautiful gardens on the earth, god has been so kind to me.” I said taking nice red colored rose in my hand, beautiful whiff filled in my nose. I was totally underestimating my Luck, it was just the beginning.
“Good Morning, welcome to the coverage of First Test between India and Protease at the beautiful wanderers, a bad news is coming from the Indian Camp. Indian spearhead Srinath twisted his ankle badly in the practice session today, so we are having a young debutant Abhay Rajput in the India Team, who has chosen to bowl first on this overcast morning after winning the toss. Its goanna be a big day for the young lad.” Someone in the commentary box was over enthusiastic as I looked at the picture of Lord Shiva in my locker, given to me by Maa before I left for South Africa. It was the moment, the moment of my life time; first time in my life I was going to walk on the cricket field representing my country, people will be watching me on the television, they will be cheering for me; transformation had begun – transformation of ‘Lambu’ into ‘Abby – Abhay Rajput’ and I was doting every bit of that.
“Will Maa be watching me or Chutki? But where, we don’t even have television back home…!” I was lost in world of my own perplexed thoughts; someone patted on my back, signaled it was the time to go on the field, my heart skipped a beat.
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“It’s a clinical performance by Indians, congratulations to the men in blue for comprehensive series win over Kiwis at home.” Ramiz Raja was standing wearing a totally artificial smile on his face as usual; we all were standing in a queue, cracking jokes, abusing each other.
“And it’s the time for the Man of the Series, and no surprises in there. With 22 wickets in 3 Tests, it’s Abhay Rajput.” Whole team applauded, Dada smiled, I bashfully walked towards the presentation area, someone patted on my back, I didn’t realized who he was.
“Two Man of the Series awards in first three tournaments you have played, seems you are making habit of it.” I just managed an unvoiced, disconcerted smile at him, I was feeling pretty uncomfortable out there.
“It’s always great to perform, I am really happy with my performance.”
“It’s becoming a statement now a days that, a pumped up Abhay with the bowl in his hand is the scariest thing in the world cricket.”
“I am just concentrating on bowling fast, as faster as I can; everything else is just coming on its own; thank you.”
“Abhay Rajput, ladies and gentleman; Man of the series” I heard some applause, as hesitatingly took the trophy and cheque from one of the officials on the dais.
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