A school of thought that promotes textbook cricket

Fr John, who received complaints from parents and teachers that students were not focused, found in Karnataka State Cricket Association’s cricket consultant, Makrant Waingankar, a person who had provided solution to cricket coaches with similar complaints.

‘‘Coaches also told me that many parents of cricket trainees were unable to cope with the stress were going for psychiatric treatment. We needed a system that would address the boys and the parents problems, and also ensure that coaches and teachers got a better feedback from the wards,’’ he said.

The reason according to Waingankar for zeroing in on cricket was because of the game’s popular appeal and its ability to teach sporting values.

‘‘The important theme was to be a team man. Fr John pointed out that every individual needed to know his role in a team in any walk of life,’’ said Waingankar. Their quest to find the ideal syllabus got a shot in the arm with the presence of former England fast bowler Frank Tyson, currently in Bangalore to train the junior Karnataka players.

Tyson introduced another value — honesty in a team game. Meanwhile, IIM, Indore, which took up the study of the Hindi movie Laagan as a topic for case study, also came up with interesting conclusions about team spirit, leadership and focus. Waingankar’s says that his formula of instilling team spirit through cricket had been successful in the corporate world. ‘‘We also received a tremendous fillip when a number of software companies and corporates started promoting cricket as a team building exercise for their staff,’’ he points out. During the streamlining of the process, many had suggested that there should not be any assessment or examination, but Waingankar does not exactly agree. ‘This was not possible. In any walk of life everybody is subject to assessment. And this was pointed out. It was also stated that perceptions would change with education and a better crop of men and women would emerge,’’ he added. Outlining the scheme as such, Waingankar says, ‘‘We have worked out a system of two lectures per week over eight months. This would involve 64 lectures where each session would be dedicated for 10 minutes of theory and 30 minutes of playing. The fifth standard boys will play cricket with tennis ball and as they move to higher classes, those not already exposed to cricket ball play, will be introduced to it.

‘‘We will have a system of scores by which we can differentiate the team man from the non-team man. In the next couple of years, there will be close to 5,000 schools, where this system would have evolved. But the real challenge would be to take the system to vernacular schools. The aim should be to take the game and the system to the door step of every student and expose him to the values that a team game can teach,’’ said Waingankar.

In coming years Waingankar would be able to take this concept to the length and breadth of the country. More power to his arm.