Dreamz unlimited...

They are all in their teens and looking ahead with renewed vigour. Armed with tremendous nerve, sheer patience and iron determination they are dreaming of making their country proud.
But their dreams, it seems, would be shattered even before they are flourished as sports authorities’ apathy is playing truant to their careers. Scarcity of drinking water, lack of proper diet and no doctor to attend them, these are some of the major problems plaguing the students’ hostel of Haryana Cricket Nursery at Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad, where more than 2,500 students from various districts are being trained to become international cricketers.Circumstances have become so severe that they find themselves unable to put up with any more, and many of them have preferred to go homes on pretexts. And there’s no one to look into the matter.
To nurse the promising raw talents of the district, the Haryana Cricket Nursery was set up 11 years ago and it was run for the first 10 years at DAV Public School in Sector 14. Though students used to live in school hostel, they were being trained at the stadium. And the hostel was shifted to the stadium thereafter.
Some of the trained students have even played for the Junior India Team (U-15 and U-19) and dozens are playing for the Ranji. Applications are invited through an advertisement every year during March-April and theythe hopefuls get admission only after passing the tests at a selection camp. This year a bulk of students has been selected for training, but there are only two coaches to train them. However, under the prevailing condition at least 15 trainees have already left for their homes. Boys, on condition of anonymity, said, “The food we are served is of very poor quality and it is less in quantity. No one will like to have it. Milk consists of more water.�
They alleged that they are often physically assaulted by the coaches. They are denied kits and are given only Rs.50 for their meal (three times in a day). Bathroom and toilets are there for the namesake and they are forced to go outside for bathing. Water cooler is lying defunct for months. Kitchen is without roof. Raj Kumar Sharma, nursery coach and hostel warden, said, “Whatever amount we get from the government is not sufficient to run the nursery itself. We did not get any aid from the government for the last five months. Deputy commissioner Anil Malik recently visited the stadium and assured of some financial help, but the matter still hangs fire.�