Make way, the heroes are home
Minutes before the bus plying the Karnataka Ranji Trophy champions arrived at the Karnataka State Cricket stadium, the excitement and jubilation among the people who are a part of the cricket club was evident. From grounds men to waiters to former players, selectors and administrators dressed in crisp suits made a beeline to welcome captain Vinay Kumar and his band of talented young men. The drums of ‘Dollu Kunitha’ members got louder when the bus made its way into the parking lot even as firecrackers were burst to deafening sound.
The pride was evident. After all, the Karnataka team had won the title twice in a row. The camaraderie shared by the players, and their well-behaved nature both on and off the field marked the true spirit of being successive champions, expressed former greats Gundappa Vishwanath, former Ranji Trophy winning captain Brijesh Patel, Sadanand Vishwanath, BS Chandrashekar among others present at the felicitation ceremony in the P2 Hall of the stadium.
“I believe there are many players in this team who have the ability to represent the country and there are two series to be played in India in the next two years. With the T20 World Cup next year, our boys must eye the India jersey. Mumbai have won the trophy 18 successive times and I think you boys should surpass that record,” Patel, the secretary of KSCA, expressed to the players.
The season, keenly followed by cricket buffs in Karnataka and those living abroad, skipper Kumar thanked them all for backing the team constantly with their wishes and also their suggestions for team strategies via social media. “It was very humbling to get such a great response from the people of Karnataka. In fact, I kept getting suggestions about game plan on Facebook but I had to stick to what our strategies were for the tournament,” remarked Kumar.
The success of the team has largely been attributed to pacer Kumar’s ability to lead the team aggressively, setting an example to go after a victory from match to match, all through the season. But in 2011-12 season when he was offered to captain the squad by coach Sanath Kumar, he was reluctant. “I was reluctant because I had just played T20 for India and I wanted to focus on my game. But Sanath sir guided me into taking up the job. I had naturally developed the ability to lead a side all through my U-16 days and even when I played for Mysore University,” he noted.
A special mention was made to the team’s support staff, whose contribution was noted by the players who burst into loud cheers and applause when the staff including physio Shravan Kumar, Prasanth Pujara, Ramesh Rao were called on to the dais. The prize money, the administrators said, will be announced after the Irani Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which they are hopeful the team will retain. In all, the culmination of the victory threw up reasons why the state team is known as one big family.
Double celebration for Brijesh Patel
At the Brijesh Patel household, it’s time for double celebration as his son Udit Patel, who bagged seven wickets against Mumbai in the league stage, is getting engaged to Bengaluru-based Nidhi Khiraiya, who teaches in a pre-school in the city. The couple was introduced through a close family friend and we hear there will be lots of celebration at the engagement ceremony to be held next week. To-be Patel bahu also received her beau from the KIA and accompanied Junior Patel to the stadium in the team bus. Sweet, we say!
