At a time when coaching academies are leaving no stone unturned to make money from every possible opportunity, India batting star Cheteshwar Pujara, his father Arvind Pujara and uncle Bipin have set the standards high with a very noble step that is bound to win plaudits from every quarter.
The trio have joined hands to start the Cheteshwar Pujara Cricket Academy and are training budding cricketers free of cost. They have also arranged a vehicle to help youngsters to commute to and fro twice a day without paying any fare.
As reported in the Mid-Day, the cricket academy, which is located 16 km away from Rajkot, has all the required facilities to groom future stars. It has five turf pitches at the centre of the facility along with four turf and two cement pitches at one corner for net practice. A bowling machine and gym equipment are also available in the newly-launched academy.
The journey to give back something to the game started around four years ago when Pujara along with his father decided to help the youngsters, who were struggling to afford the practice. They bought a six-acre piece of land on the Rajkot-Jamnagar highway to set up the academy, in which around 30 youngsters from Bhuj and surrounding areas are honing their skills.
Speaking about the mission of the cricket academy, Pujara junior said:“Our mission is very simple – we want to impart the best training to each and every player. If these players work hard, there is no reason why they will not be prepared for the under-19 level. We want to produce cricketers for Saurashtra and you never know, there could be a few which can serve others states as well.”
“Three current Saurashtra Ranji Trophy players practise here and it is a huge motivational and inspirational factor for these young trainees. If someone from this group goes on to play for the state or country, it will be a big achievement for us,” he added.
Stressing on the importance of a cricket academy with good infrastructure, the Indian Test batsman said:“We need such infrastructure in a small city like Rajkot where facilities are less. There are many upcoming players who never get to practise on turf wickets and prepare on concrete or mating wickets, so they don’t learn proper technique. They also don’t get enough match practice because there are no grounds. Match practice is most important in shaping an upcoming cricketer and for that you have to have grounds with turf wickets.”
“I have seen cricketers play very well in the nets and play far differently in a match. This is because they don’t have enough practice on turf wickets. That’s why we wanted to have an academy where you have the ground as well as turf pitches,” he added.
Meanwhile, the 28-year old is currently enjoying some time off from international cricket. The Indian team will play a limited-overs series against England which begins on January 15 and Pujara will be seen in action again when the team takes on Bangladesh in the one-off Test, starting February 8.