P. R. Man Singh, Indian team manager of the 1983 World Cup winning team, will soon introduce an indoor cricket facility in the city.
This essentially means it will be a 30 ft x 90 ft indoor facility and the first such centre will be at Neeraj International School, thanks to the initiative of its Director Gavish Reddy.
The indoor cricket complex will comprise the outfield and the pitch (playing area) made of astro-turf and of different colours to give it a striking contrast.
“Since, Neeraj School has been gracious enough to provide the space, the project might cost us about Rs. 30 lakh. After an in-depth study of the concept in Australia and given the craze in Hyderabad for the sport, we thought this is worth trying,” Mr. Man Singh told The Hindu . The theme of the concept is simple -- play cricket to stay fit. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that only regular cricketers have to be in action. All those who are passionate about the sport can enjoy the game as each match will last about 90 minutes,” said Man Singh.
The idea is to encourage matches of six-a-side teams wherein everyone gets a chance either to bat or bowl, the former HCA secretary said to a query. In a way, this is gully cricket in a polished format which will be played in a 24x7 indoor facility.
Importantly, the Veterans Cricket Association of Hyderabad has entered into an agreement with West Australia Cricket Association for an exchange programme of under-16 teams in this regard. “Karl de Mario, who is an authority on this subject, will be visiting the city soon to give a final shape to the concept,” Mr. Singh said
“Matches apart, anyone can also train at the indoor facility as the specially designed balls will be much softer and will have extra bounce than the normal ones,” Mr. Singh said.
