The Conversation - Boys to Men!!

They say that boys should learn about respect, discipline, honesty, vision and action from men. I am not sure which wise person ever said that because they clearly have not seen maidaan cricket. Here the boys show these qualities along with humility and character. 

So who are these boys or I dare say young men who spend the dawn of their weekends for the last year tugging and tossing around with the so called mature men of Palladian. While it started out as an experiment with some dads bringing in their kids to face the music, these young men have now become an essential cog in their team and have become specialists in their roles. 

Ayush, Pranav, Ahaan and Eshaan have all grown up together and are good friends and even better competitors. They love their cricket and even more love to learn with every passing day. 

I posed them a few questions, aiming to see what they felt about their first year with the Palladian Cricket League. Below is an unedited, free wheeling version. Enjoy reading it. I sure did. 

1. What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of cricket with the overgrown kids ? 

Pranav: My mind goes to the time collected up in arguments.I cannot remember a single match where there has been no argument barring some rare friendlies.Seriously,I think that being an umpire is harder here than Kumar Dharmasena's post.I think umpires should be paid for dealing with all the debates and appeals to change the umpire.This is really the foremost thing in my mind.

Eshaan:I have always loved playing cricket with the uncles and I learn a lot from how the overgrown kids play. I always have wanted to play with the same energy and aggression and joy that the overgrown kids play with. I have learnt that even being in competitive situations can still bring a lot of fun and learning even after losing.I have seen balls being hit very far which makes the game more fun.

Ahaan: My first thought was - How am I going to survive their bowling and batting? I'm way too young to be playing with them.

Ayush: The first thought is to just learn new things from them... Ofcourse they are older and have been watching the sport for a longer time, so they have more knowledge...

2. ⁠your respective dads play alongside you. Is there anything you try learning from them and what is the one thing you would like them to stop doing ? 

Ayush: If you look at my dad (Kiran), he mainly plays cross-bat when he hits... His timing and power have been the main thing I'm learning from him.

Eshaan: My dad plays on the same team as me and I wish to learn how he goes about his game especially when trying to win games from the back end and how my dad takes a loss and how he makes a comeback the next game.

Pranav: I take his skill as an inspiration.I feel that how he does not let his form affect him and manages to pull out good performances under pressure are some important aspects I could learn from.He should preferably avoid giving chances off my bowling because I cannot remember a single catch taken of my bowling to him.He could also avoid losing his temper more often than not, and still viewing it as never doing so except"this one time".

Ahaan:I want to bowl like him especially because he tells me that I have the height to bowl like him. I wish he would stop going up the order while batting as it does not work out. Try using this advice, dad!

3. ⁠Who is your mentor /idol in the maidaan? 

Pranav:  Probably HK uncle. He is always ready to give me advice when I need it,and gives me tips on how to play with my mind.He is the one of,if not the best batsman in the maidan,and his pace bowling skills are a vital part of the two-time defending champs Infernos.Both his skill and his mentorship have helped me become the player I am and excel at this game here.

Ahaan: Honestly, I don't try to idolize anyone in the maidaan. I want to be one of the guys who plays their own game. As for mentors, I think my whole team tries to teach me new stuff. Doesn't stay in my head most of the time 

Ayush: I have many idols... I can mainly name HK uncle and Shiten uncle as ofcourse, they are in the same team as me (Infernos) and I just keep learning new things and skills from them and even in my worst form, never fail to support me.

Eshaan: My mentor or Idol that I admire is HK uncle the way he takes the game long and wins games single handedly for his team. Even though he is not on my team I still admire his batting power and the aggression that uncle shows on the field.The way he goes about his feilding batting and bowling.

4. ⁠in 10 years when you guys become adults, will you let your older friends play with you?

Ayush: Depends if they can still play really... In 10 years the uncles will be in their 60's so that will be a very miraculous thing if they can still play the game like they used to 10 years ago...

Eshaan: When I become older I will still definitely let the older friends play with us.

Ahaan: See, in 10 years, people like me, Ayush, Pranav and Eshan will play cricket but the thing here is whether you guys can play.But we will always call you if the previous situation is possible.

Pranav: I could be at IIT,IIM,Oxford,Harvard,anywhere in the world in 10 years,studying for a master's degree.But if i was still here in 10 years,I would definitely do so.I feel the age will have taken a toll on my "older friends" and therefore this will make the arguments not as long.But, if I hear someone going "60 is the new 18" ,I will personally make a board of directors and a code of conduct and boot everybody who does not follow this.This is only in 10 years in a hypothetical situation,so no need to be scared. 

5. ⁠What do you enjoy about maidaan cricket and what do you hate about it ? 

Pranav: I think I have made what I hate about maidaan cricket very clear.But it is still very captivating and I feel that the crème de la crème of the maidaan are the arguments themselves.The absolutely hilarious things that are argued about for so long.During an official game,we were able to seize the moment and enjoy a game of basketball during an argument about something which I cannot even recollect.We aggregated 21 points in that game.That is no mean feat.But the hilarious part is how long that you argue on something which is so stupid that Mr.Bean would be proud.

Ahaan: There are a ton of things I like about maidaan cricket. Just going to play some cricket is enough for me, though contributing a lot to the team is more than satisfactory for me. One thing, though, that I really don't like is the arguing that now takes place almost every weekend. 

Ayush: The only thing I enjoy about maidaan cricket is the hitting... Small ground, heavier ball, perfect hitting conditions. The only thing I hate about maidaan are the over complicated rules which eventually leads to 20 arguments per 15 over game. Once me, pranav and ahaan finished an entire basketball game while the uncles were still arguing over the ball hitting the tree without bouncing... The batting team were arguing for a boundary and the bowling team were doing the exact opposite...

Eshaan: I love playing cricket in the maidan. I love the Infernos vs Vikings battles and the competitiveness of playing in the maidan.I love batting and being able to contribute to my team and have always wanted to contribute regularly and win matches. Something that I don't like about playing in the maidan is the fact that Vikings lose most of the time and that there are so many rules that are there which causes arguments.

6. ⁠Who according to you is the most abusive player in the group. 

Eshaan:I don't feel any one is abusive but there is some banter and everyone wants to win games and contribute and there is competition which makes cricket more fun and enjoyable. 

Pranav: Humorous.I feel that everybody is very abusive and the people who are the most abusive show it on the ground and they do it in the heat of the moment so I will not stoop to the level of insulting them for something that they did not do without thinking first.

Ahaan: I have an answer but I won't tell. No names taken! Though my dad is very, very high up on that list 

Ayush: Honestly, everyone are equally as abusive when they're angry... Arjun uncle when angry and serious can go pretty wrong... And HK uncle fighting with Hari uncle is uhm... A lovely exchange of words...

As you can see, the boys are paying close attention.