International hand-me-downs come handy for Talegaon kids

NAGPUR: For 15 students of Model High School in Talegaon, which is around 90km from Nagpur, life is completely different as compared to their Nagpur counterparts. Some of them have to work for four to five hours for a livelihood, so participation in an interschool cricket meet was a distant dream, especially when they neither had equipments nor kits.
The kids, however, will not only participate in the tournament but also play with the same equipment used by international stars like Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait and Owais Shah. All that could be possible because of the Institute of Sports Raj Singh Dungarpur Academy in Talegaon.
"Our school doesn’t get the sports grant. So, purchasing costly cricket equipments was out of question. However, one day I saw four-five students of my school practicing in the academy. So, I decided to approach them for helping us out. They arranged everything for us, right from training to equipments and kits," Anup Kale, physical training in-charge of Model High School, told TOI.
Kale’s wards may be underprivileged but they have raw talent. Captain Harish Pidiyar impressed former Indian captain Dravid so much so that during Rajasthan Royals’ preparation camp at Talegaon he gave his kit to him besides valuable tips.
The left-arm spinner had also impressed Shah and other Royals players. "Harish was addicted to kharra but after that camp, he has stopped it completely and is now focusing on fitness. This is the change this academy has brought in the region, which has around 80 pan shops for a population of 30,000," Kale said.
For the youngsters, meeting international cricketing stars was a dream but now they are very much part of their lives. Each of them has spent sufficient time with the youngsters; guided them not only about the game but life as a whole.
Leg-spinner Ramu Singh Tak didn’t concede a wide despite playing with a leather ball for the first time. Kale had to convince his parents to send him to school again. Ramu had quit his studies because his parents couldn’t afford the fees. The stories of many are similar. Now, the youngsters only concentrate on their games and studies. After spending time with international and domestic stars, they want to be like them. They don’t have to worry about the financial aspects.
"Many international stars have contributed to this academy. Even Vidarbha players like Faiz Fazal and Amit Paunikar donated some portion of their money for this good cause. Our aim is to provide them the platform from where they can decide their future," Romi Binder, director of the institute, said.