Cricket is played in every nook and corner in India. Aspiring young children can be seen slogging in cricket academies, stadia, open grounds, streets and roads. Many from humble middle class Indian families do make it big with the likes of legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and many others.
To promote young talent and to give youngsters a level playing field irrespective of social and economic status, the UT Cricket Association (UTCA), Chandigarh is holding gully cricket tournament for children aged between 14 and 18 years from April 6 onwards.
The UT Cricket Association (UTCA) has collaborated with Chandigarh Police which will help children enroll themselves in the nearest police station in their area where they live. There are 111 police beats in Chandigarh under which all areas of Chandigarh are covered. Players will be selected by the respective beat heads of Chandigarh Police and only those belonging to Chandigarh will be eligible to play. The programme also seeks to motivate youth hailing from colonies and villages in and around Chandigarh which fall in the UT jursdiction to take part in sports.
After teams are formed, children will be trained from March 30 to April 5 under mentors, coaches from different schools, sports department and cricket academies around the town.
Youngsters can get themselves enrolled by submitting a copy of their Aadhar card. About 200 teams with 14 children in each team will be formed and matches planned in 10 playgrounds handpicked in Chandigarh. Selectors will be present there to sniff for extraordinary talent which can be taken forward. The match will be of 10-10 overs format played with a tennis ball.
“ Even if we are able to make one success story out of this, it will be a big achievement and we want to make it a yearly affair,” says Sanjay Tandon, UTCA president, while talking to CityWoofer.
“The main motive is to keep children away from bad influences, crime, drugs and anti-social elements. We will also look for sponsors who can provide cricket kits, shoes, etc to the poor children who want to play cricket,” he adds
The event is being supported by the sports, education and social welfare departments, besides the Chandigarh municipal corporation.
