The pitch is ready, the field is set, two players walk down the middle, the bowler bowls and the batsman hits it for a four. But, the batsman has no bat and the ball is almost the size of a football. Wondering what this is?
Welcome to the world of leg cricket.
A growing form of sport, leg-cricket is a fusion of cricket and football, where most of the rules of cricket apply and abilities of a footballer come in handy. And the State team has been on a roll ever since the Karnataka Leg-Cricket Association (KLCA) was formed in May last year.
The 11-member Under 21 men's squad won the 5th National championship on début; six players from Karnataka were part of the international team that came second in the South-Asian championship and more recently, the State girl's team clinched the junior national title in the tournament held in Delhi in December while the boys were runners-up in their category.
While the concept of leg cricket has been in existence for some time, it was played only for recreation. It was in 2012 that a rule book was established. In Karnataka, the game was introduced last year by Rajath Kankar, former national volleyball player and the coach of both Karnataka and the national leg-cricket team.
“We have been receiving a good response from schools and colleges. The biggest plus is that it is an inexpensive game. All you need is wickets, a ball and regular shoes. Also, it is a quick eight-over game, which is good from the point of view of spectators. If properly developed, leg-cricket can become as popular as cricket and football,” says Mr. Kankar.
Today, in Bengaluru alone, 18 colleges and 12 schools, including government ones, have formed teams. In the State, 17 district teams have started playing the game professionally. Mr. Kankar says of the 1,000-odd players in the State, most are girls.
Of the 1,000-odd players in the State, most are girls.
Prathusha, a final-year Arts student from Maharani Arts, Commerce and Management College for Women, is the captain of the girl's team. She has been playing the game for a year. “I really enjoy it. Women can easily play the game, as it is not as vigorous as cricket or football,” she says.
Practice sessions are held over the weekend in the Nagarabhavi playground. But Divya Danalakshmi, the women's coach and the physical education teacher in Attigupe Government School, says this is not enough. “We have been finding it difficult to find playgrounds to practice in. We wish the government would provide the necessary infrastructure.”
KLCA is trying to get recognition from the School Games Federation to get funding for the game. “Right now, the Association is raising funds to send players to matches. We have a lot of potential, but need government support to keep the game alive,” says Mr. Kankar.
Simultaneously, the association is promoting the game. “We recently conducted a session to familiarise over 150 physical education teachers of schools and colleges about the sport. When we have the numbers, recognition cannot be far behind. We see a bright future for the game,” adds Mr. Kankar.
