Saturday, May 16, 2020 75 12345 GROUND REALITY §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ Saturday, May 16, 2020 FOR THE FORTNIGHT MAY 3­16, 2020 12345 Volume 43 Number 10 ISSN 0971 359x §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ 11 “Pitches dictate the trend of cricket we see. Good pitches will produce good Test cricket.” Sachin Tendulkar’s advice to revamp the longest format. An interview. 16 An incorrigible cricket romantic, Bishan Singh Bedi has always accommodated requests from Sportstar, and in an interview he shares his views on various aspects of the game. 4 Fringe players are hit the 26 Chinaman hardest by the coronavirus lockdown. Kuldeep Yadav usually Not the cricketers, but those who work doesn’t have much time on the peripheries of the game — to devote towards groundsmen and broadcast professionals painting, but the — are among the most aected during unexpected break because the pandemic. of the coronavirus pandemic has opened up a ALSO READ ... window of opportunity. 28 Interview | Dilip Doshi 46 Column | Sunil Gavaskar 70 Chuni Goswami received 66 Interview | Jwala Gutta accolades and recognition from every 74 Lockdown Diary | Sunil Chhetri possible platform. But the main accolade came from Design: R. Ravikannan the common man on the Cover: PTI road, writes Raju Mukherji. Poster: Sunil Chhetri (K. Murali Kumar) Pages 35­42) sportstar.thehindu.com sportstarweb [email protected] Published by N. Ravi, Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai­600 002 and Printed by T. 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Air Surcharge: Colombo 15.00 | Port Blair 10.00 SPORTSTAR MAY 16, 2020 3 COVER STORY §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ Longing for action: Naresh Manjrekar, Fringe players hit the hardest one of the top 20­odd cricket Not the cricketers but those who work on the peripheries of the game — broadcast camerapersons in groundsmen and broadcast professionals — are among the most aected India, in action. with the pandemic bringing the game to a standstill. Manjrekar’s concerns — despite him having been a well­travelled professional — are perfectly understood with the world at large, especially India, heading into an economic downturn. Manjrekar is among the 100 to 150 broadcast professionals involved in high cricket — or angles — is not top­most on his Maidan in Mumbai, all of it has come to a prole cricket mind. As he tries to relax at his family home halt. telecast in India. in Madh Island, a shermen’s grove o the Manjrekar’s concerns — despite him coast of Mumbai, he can’t help but think of having been a well­travelled professional — SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT how to settle the last few pending instal­ are perfectly understood with the world at ments of an apartment he has bought in Mira large, especially India, heading into an eco­ Road, a far­o western suburb in the Mum­ nomic downturn. Manjrekar is among the bai Metropolitan Region. 100 to 150 broadcast professionals involved “Since I am a freelancer, I didn’t want to in high­prole cricket telecast in India. Most even try for a home loan so I planned for it of these personnel, however, work as freel­ with whatever little investments I had. Since ancers, just like thousands of maalis at the possession is due in August, I had cricket grounds across the length and planned to settle the dues after being paid breadth of the country. for the IPL, but now with IPL denitely not While the curators and groundsmen who happening before August, I am not sure are employed by their respective state asso­ what I am going to do,” adds Manjrekar. ciations have been taken care of during Tough times: A cameraman shoots an exhibition cricket match played under newly installed oodlights at The 58­year­old is not alone. While a these turbulent times, it’s the daily wagers the ACA­VDCA stadium in Visakhapatnam, to test the light intensity. While a majority of Indian cricketers — majority of Indian cricketers — interna­ who mow the grass, water the wickets while international and rst­class — are planning on how to keep themselves t during the lockdown, most of tional and rst­class — are planning on how living in tents of clubs who are severely af­ those who work tirelessly on the peripheries of cricket are struggling to stay aoat. K. R. DEEPAK to keep themselves t during the lockdown, fected. Most of them in metros are migrants. most of those who work tirelessly on the While some are paid a xed monthly remu­ AMOL KARHADKAR peripheries of cricket are struggling to stay neration which is meagre, most rely heavily aoat. Be it an experienced cameraperson on the tips they receive from those who book aresh Manjrekar has been a constant at has settled into cricket broadcast for the last like Manjrekar or a groundsman — maali, for the grounds for a friendly or competitive cricket stadia whenever the Men in 10 years. Not just because of his “passion” that matter — at Gorer Math, the iconic club game. NBlue — or in whites — take the eld for a for cricket but also considering nances. Kolkata maidan which has been a breeding “It’s these groundsmen who are strug­ high­prole cricket match in India. You may “All the cameramen are freelancers, be it ground for budding cricketers for more than gling like anything,” stresses Nadim have never seen Manjrekar — or most of his lms or serials or sports. The dierence a century — those who strive to make cricket Memon, a veteran curator who is also an colleagues in the broadcast crew — on cam­ between then and now is when you work for happen are among the hardest hit due to the elected member of the Mumbai Cricket As­ era but all of us enjoy a game of cricket live a reputed production house like the BCCI, pandemic. sociation’s apex council. “Some of them on television through their eyes. payments are prompt. Not once do you have With the COVID­19 outbreak forcing In­ could leave for their respective hometowns Manjrekar is one of the top 20­odd to wait or remind them,” says Manjrekar. dia into a lockdown, sport in itself has come just before the lockdown started, so for the cricket broadcast camerapersons in India. But for the last six weeks, ever since he to a standstill. Be it a choc­a­bloc IPL game last month or so, we at the MCA have been Having worked in the entertainment in­ returned from Lucknow after India’s ODI at Chepauk in Chennai or a summer vacation trying to help the clubs by roping in a few dustry for more than two decades, Manjrekar series against South Africa was abandoned, intra­family serious game of cricket at Azad daily­wagers to keep the grounds in shape. 4 MAY 16, 2020 SPORTSTAR SPORTSTAR MAY 16, 2020 5 COVER STORY §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ Not a pleasing sight: Groundsmen do their best to keep the ground match ready during a Ranji Trophy encounter between Bengal and Delhi at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. While the curators and groundsmen who are employed by their respective state associations have been taken care of during these turbulent times, it’s the daily wagers who mow the grass, water the wickets while living in tents of clubs who are severely aected. RAJEEV BHATT But now with the inter­state movement hav­ the most severely­hit cities in India. ing begun, it will be dicult to nd daily­ “And the association has even disbursed wagers and keep maidans in shape.” advance salaries for all the groundsmen to Thankfully, with the BCCI having help them have cash at disposal. From the stressed on the state associations to give little information I have about other states, nancial security to curators and grounds­ most associations have been taking care of men, the top rung of the groundsmen’s lad­ their groundsmen and curators very well der is yet to be aected. Samandar Singh nowadays.” Chauhan, the head curator at the Madhya That’s been one of the welcome changes Pradesh Cricket Association, raves as to how in Indian cricket over the last decade. With the MPCA ocialdom and administrators the IPL’s broadcast deals resulting in the have ensured that those who are employed share of the state associations hitting the by the state association are taken care of. In roof, most associations oer permanent jobs a state as large as Madhya Pradesh, the state and other facilities, including provident association looks after the daily mainten­ fund and health insurance, to its curators ance of at least a dozen grounds across the and groundsmen. Since the benets don’t state. “Barring the Holkar Stadium in In­ trickle down to those on the maidans, most dore, all the other grounds are in areas that of those at the bottom of the pile are strug­ are unaected.