Sarfaraz, Iyer are products of MCA academy: Shetty

MUMBAI: Dr PV Shetty is a popular figure in city cricket circles. He's been actively involved with the Mumbai Cricket Association since 1998. He's currently the joint secretary of the association and is vying for a third term for the same post in Wednesday's elections. He spoke to TOI on his vision for Mumbai cricket. Excerpts.
You've developed cricket in the western suburbs. How did you manage to do it?
Mumbai was expanding rapidly and though cricket is a popular game, there were no facilities. Not only did I succeed in creating infrastructure, I also got teams for the youngsters to play. Players need experience in the middle and by playing matches, they develop. Rohit Sharma is the product of my academy .Had infrastructure not been available, he would have found it difficult to exhibit his talents. I give free coaching to kids who can't afford it.
Don't you think there should be more school tournaments in the suburbs?
We have tournaments, but I want to give more opportunities to boys who hail from the Virar­ Dahanu and Thane ­Bhiwandi belt. We have to realise that it's very difficult to commute for schoolboys. In fact I am very keen that good coaches should be given assignments in these areas. In all the Mumbai teams, players are from the suburbs. Shouldn't we create more facilities there? Today, the boys travel for 4 to 5 hours. How do you expect them to bowl 20 overs a day?
Why is the MCA academy not producing the desired results?
We have produced a lot of youngsters like Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and Sarfaraz Khan who are products of this academy . A lot of Indian players have also benefited. With Vengsarkar coming back as vice-president, his expertise will help us to do better.