HYDERABAD: If April has been the cruel month in terms of the heat, it has also been an exciting and eagerly awaited month for the software professionals of CA Technologies in Gachibowli. On a scorching Tuesday even with the soaring summer temperature at 4 p.m., Rajya Lakshmi and Preeti pad up their cricket gear for the crucial quarter final match. Their colleagues turn cheerleaders and amidst whistles and claps, Sai Sree bowls a Yorker; and it is a dot ball. Next, Rajya Lakshmi smashes the ball and this time it touches the boundary. The cheers turn louder and the session proves busy for the score keepers. “The internal cricket league has professionals in different teams,” points out Kartik, an employee of the company. Every team has nine men and two women players. It is mandatory to have women players, who bowl the first two overs in the 12 over match,” he adds. Sitting next to him is his opponent-cum-friend Sai Kumar, who has been playing cricket for three years now. “Although we are from different teams, we are all good friends. On the field, we are rivals and our goal is to see that the team wins,” he smiles.
As the match gets underway, one hears a cheerful Barkha Singh’s voice encouraging the fielding team. “The heat is a bother but somehow we are managing and never play without applying sunscreen,” she smiles. Prashant jokes of the funny banter and some sledging which is taken in the right spirit. “The cricket tournament boosts one’s morale and when an employee bats or bowls well, he earns a lot of respect from his colleagues in the office,” states Nootan.
The corporate cricket has evolved over the years in Hyderabad. On any weekend one can see techies driving towards Narapally to practice and play. “There are around 150 corporate teams in the city. And, with many organisers getting involved, there is a lot of business too,” shares an employee of a multi-national company and adds, “The tension and competition is so high that some matches are treated like the matches between India and Pakistan.”
The T20 masti has enveloped the corporate cricket too. Srikanth Putta, who has played for 16 years in corporate cricket observes that the 20-20 format has scored over the 50-over matches. “In a 50-over league match, the schedule is busy. The advantages of T20 corporate matches are that employees can relax and spend more time with their families,” he observes. Srikanth has scored more than 15,000 runs and taken around 200 wickets and currently coaches young boys.
Nootan has spent seven summers playing cricket in CA Technologies and talks of the bonhomie and competitive spirit witnessed while playing the gentleman’s game. “The uniqueness is that the team includes employees from different levels. From a youngster to a senior director, every member contributes to the team. The matches are so popular that sometimes we even see ex-employees among the audience,” he shares.
Hi-fives
Fitness
Stressbuster
Channelises passion for the game
Instils discipline and team spirit
Fosters friendships
Helps in networking
When an employee bats or bowls well, he earns a lot of respect from his colleagues in the office
