On my recent trip to India, I went out of my way to get to Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy at Pune. The ground had a good covering of grass with side-screens and a decent 60 to 65 yard boundary. Young kids in the 7 to 12 age group were involved in a cricket game of 40 overs. For that age the way they went through drill was amazing. I spoke to a kid fielding at long-leg or mid-off boundary. He mentioned he was just 7 years old and was selected for training in the academy having learnt his initial skills at Lonavala. He was the youngest in the entire lot at that academy. They routinely play 40 overs games and was a left handed bowler. It was November and was pretty hot for that time of the year. I noticed he had a good bowling action and pitched the ball on a good line and length. Another young kid who was facing his bowling played with sound technique. A square drive, hit for a boundary behind point on an over-pitched delivery was a treat to watch. Other kids in the higher age groups played games in their allocated time slots.
These are good signs for Indian cricket with the younger generation being built through the ranks. The recent formation of an IPL team at Pune should increase the cricket fervour in Pune even further ...
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