How far can you go to satisfy your passion for cricket? Ask Ranganathan Parameswaran Easwaran, who bought a large piece of land in Dehradun in 2005, spent an astronomical amount from his own pocket to build a first-class cricket stadium. On January 3, when Bengal take on Uttarakhand in a Ranji Trophy Group B match, Easwaran can’t be blamed for being a little nostalgic when son Abhimanyu, an opener knocking on the national team’s door, will play a first class match at “Abhimanyu Cricket Academy Stadium”.
“It is a proud moment for me to play a Ranji game at a ground where I learned all cricket as a young man. This is the result of his (father’s) love and work and it’s always a great feeling to come home. but once you are on the field, the focus is to win the game for Bengal,” 27-year-old Abhimanyu, who has 19 hundreds and was recently part of the Indian Test squad in Bangladesh, told PTI on the eve of the match.
While stadiums named after legendary cricketers after retirement is not a new phenomenon, there are not many examples where an active Indian first-class uncapped player would ply his trade in a cricket stadium named after him.
Be it the Viv Richards Ground in Antigua, the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba (Trinidad & Tobago) or the Allan Border Ground in Brisbane, grounds and stadiums were christened after legends ended their illustrious careers.
In this regard, Abhimanyu playing at ‘Abhimanyu Stadium’ is indeed a special occasion for father and son.
The picturesque ground, which also has floodlights, has been approved by the BCCI for several years with many domestic matches (senior, junior, women’s and age group), but never before has the stadium owner himself played a first-class game.
“Yes, I don’t think there are many occasions, but for me it is not an achievement. Yes, it feels good, but the real achievement would be if my son can play 100 Tests for India. This is a stadium that I have built because of my passion for the game and not just for my son,” RP Easwaran told PTI ahead of the Ranji Trophy match.
“I started building (it) in 2006 and I’m still spending out of my own pocket to constantly improve it. There’s no going back, but it’s all about my love for the game.” A chartered accountant by profession, Easwaran started the ‘Abhimanyu Cricket Academy’ in 1988 even before his son was born in 1995.
“I was a newspaper vendor and sold ice cream in Dehradun while completing my CA degree. I wanted to get back into the game and it’s my good fortune that God gave me a son who also plays cricket. But the passion to create a cricket facility it was always there. Now I have given up active practice and just relax,” the sense of accomplishment was evident in the elder Easwaran’s tone.
While he is a proud father of an India ‘A’ captain, what gives him more satisfaction is that his academy has produced five players who are in the Uttarakhand Ranji team, including wicketkeeper Deepak Dhapola, who took eight wickets in the last game.
“Mohammed Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik have all come here and practiced at our facility. We have built 60 accommodation rooms, 20 hostel rooms, indoor practice facilities lit during monsoon, state-of-the-art gymnasium, rooms of staff, in-house laundry, bakery,” Easwaran said.
When Abhimanyu was asked about the Uttarakhand players he grew up training with, he said that nowadays, every bit of data is available.
“Yes, I have practiced with many of them and I wouldn’t deny that it helps. But in this day and age with extensive video analysis being done, no one has any particular advantage as such,” said Abhimanyu, saying that the field in his “home stadium” will be “sports”.
The head coach of Abhimanyu’s state team, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, is a tough battle pro who doesn’t want his ward to get emotional.
“It’s a fantastic ground, the pitch looks good and the pitch is great. But I know Abhi (as he’s called in cricket circles). He’s a practical guy and we’ve got a Ranji game to play and he’s focused on This is good for you media as it is an interesting fact”, said Shukla.
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