Inter-school T20 tournament begins in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: Former India middle order batsman Hemang Badani inaugurated the Lakshmi Vilas Bank Under-14 Inter-School T20 tournament in Coimbatore on Monday.
The tournament will be held in eight districts, including Coimbatore, and also in Chennai.
The tournament was inaugurated in Coimbatore, Karaikudi, Krishnagiri and Salem on Monday in its phase I. On December 25, the tournament would be inaugurated in Villupuram, Tirunelveli, Tanjavur and Trichy.On January 7, it will be held at Chennai. Twelve teams will play in each of the eight districts, while 24 teams will play in Chennai.
Talking about the need to promote under-14 cricket, Badani said players were selected to the Indian cricket team as young as 18 years. So it is very important to promote talent at an early age.
“Most tournaments and series are held only for under-16. But there is a lot of talent in the districts and this is a way by which they could learn and gain exposure,” he said.
About honing the skills of these young boys, he said in Coimbatore, the local coaching systems were stronger. “But, better grounds and infrastructure are required,” he added.
Badani said he would submit a proposal to the bank that is sponsoring the tournament to consider sponsoring a specialised training programme for a select few kids who perform well in the tournament. “I plan to take them to the UK where they can get training and special coaching,” he said.
Coaches and other players expressed concern over the lack of a single turf wicket in the city. They said they had to depend on private institutions for playing matches.
“The district association in Coimbatore is over 60 years old, but the lack of a proper cricket ground is one of the major reasons why the city players do not make it to the Indian team,” said National Model School coach N Vivekanandan.
He said he had been training children for over 16 years. “Many places like Tirunelveli and Natham near Dindigul have a cricket pitch. But Coimbatore doesn’t have one,” he said.
A Mubarak, whose son Imran Khan is part of the Coimbatore district team, said the association should also increase the number of tournaments played. “There is one in a year. If there are more matches, the children would get more exposure,” he said.