Click to play videoMumbai: Cricket is no longer the bastion of elite gentlemen's clubs. The new crop of stars in Mumbai's cricket circuit has more humble origins. A school near the slums of Kurla is emerging as a tough opponent for many elite schools in the city.
Students of the Al Barkat school started their victory march in the sport two years ago when the school floated a cricket team and made professional cricket a dream come true for the young boys.
Moin, a student of Al Barkat school, says, "Earlier we used to play with rubber balls and broken bats. However, ever since we have started playing serious cricket, we are scoring well." Moin is now a star batsman in the school team.
The popularity of gully cricket in these low-income areas prompted Al Barkat to form a team. Three players in the Railways team stepped in to coach them for free. The rigorous daily two-hour practice paid off. They reached the quarters in Mumbai's school cricket circuit on debut his year where they scalped high-profile schools like Dhirubhai Ambani and Xaviers to lift the trophy!
Ashish Gupta, the coach of the Al Barkat school cricket team, says, "Those who cannot afford, the school provides the cricket kits to them. The kit includes 2-3 bats, gloves and everything else that is required and necessary."
The Al Barkat school bears all the training expenses and it is this assistance provided by the school that lured 13-year-old Mohnish from a village in UP to chase his cricketing dreams.
Recently the young champ scored a 198 not out. He says he dreams of playing for the Indian cricket team.
Teams like Al Barkat reflect the changing face of Indian cricket, which is no longer a reserve and prerogative of the elite. And who knows, another star may soon be sighted in the bylanes of Mumbai.
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