Their interest in cricket piqued by the recent World cup, newly arrived volunteers Lydia and Eloise paid a visit to Indian Gymkhana, Matunga – home of Dharavi Cricket Academy. Here’s what they found.
On our arrival at the Indian Gymkhana ground we received a warm welcome from the boys (aged between 12 and 14) who were really excited to start the practice and show their skills in front of our camera, especially as the Cricket World Cup was currently running (and at that point in time their Indian heroes were still in with a chance). As we got to know from the children, the practice is held three times a week, from 9 to 11, and matches are arranged on the weekends.
Although we missed the usual 15 laps of jogging (phew!), we saw their warm-up program which included body, leg, back and arms stretching. Workout over and the boys were finally ready to put on their pads, helmets and take up their bats. As the coaches explained to us, some kids were practising playing off front and back foot while others worked on batting and bowling. They also gave us the chance to catch some balls.
Even though we did not really know the rules of cricket it was a lovely morning and it was great to meet all the boys and coaches who are participating in this great project. We experienced a lot of smiles, enthusiasm and motivated boys.
Thanks a lot to everyone, who made this morning so interesting. A special thanks to
the coaches, who had a lot of patience with us and our non-existent knowledge
of the game. We learned a lot!’.
