Gurdaspur fast emerging as cricketing hub

Aim high, for the stars listen to those who dare. This adage is repeatedly drilled everyday by coach Rakesh Marshal into the minds of scores of starry-eyed cricketers who train at the Government College ground. The veteran trainer makes it a point to regularly show on the screen the exploits of Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, the day he created magic by scoring a double century against minnows Afghanistan in the 2024 World Cup.

Afghanistan were almost through to the semi-finals. Chasing a score of 291, the Aussies, the cricketing powerhouse that they are, were precariously perched at 91 for 7. The predictability meter showed the match to be 99 per cent in favour of the Afghans with just one per cent tilting towards the Australians. Then came Maxwell’s innings that even a year later, begs belief. Even now, people refuse to believe it happened, so unbelievable it was!

It was a sublime effort, inspirational and uplifting in equal measure. He played an adjective defying knock of an unbeaten 200, shredding to smithereens the MCC coaching manual. He was both a craftsman and a cavalier. This innings will be remembered the longest and cherished the most.

Marshal instructs his pupils to study Maxwell’s masterpiece time and again. These are the innings of which dreams are made of. “I want you to play like Maxwell. If you cannot, then do not come to the ground,” he tells them.

There was a dramatic improvement in the boys from then on. The amazing thing is not that the boys occasionally faltered. The amazing thing is that they so often succeeded. And that is what the coach wanted. Like Maxwell, the boys replaced defence with aggression. In modern day limited overs cricket, it is always aggression that pays off.

Gurdaspur’s rise in Punjab cricket had begun in earnest. And lo and behold, an Aussie was responsible for it.

In age-limit tournaments, Gurdaspur started doing exceptionally well. To top it, the emergence of Dilpreet ‘Ponty’ Bajwa as an international cricketer, proved to be a catalyst in the players’ rise to the top. The irony is unmistakable. Bajwa was constantly rejected by the Punjab selectors despite scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket. With Punjab not selecting him in its Ranji Trophy squad, Bajwa migrated to Canada. Many said it was partly because he hailed from a district which had no culture of cricket! Today’s rejection can become tomorrow’s acceptance, and it did.

In Canada, the diminutive Sikh, whose driving on both sides of the wicket is a treat to watch, impressed all and sundry. Subsequently, he was selected in the national team that did duty in the T-20 World Cup held simultaneously in the US and the West Indies. Now he has been made vice-captain of the Canadian national squad which will play in the T-20 World Cup slated to be held in India and Sri-Lanka in February next year. Punjab’s loss has been Canada’s gain. Will somebody in the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) take notice?

“Practice, practice, practice until you eventually get numb on rejections. Without experiencing criticism and rejection in life, it is impossible to grow or improve yourself,” Bajwa told TNS on one of his recent visits to Gurdaspur.

Slowly, but steadily, this backward district, so backward that it neither has traffic lights nor footpaths or Zebra crossings, started producing players who now had a foot in the door of Punjab cricket. It was just a matter of time when they would yank it open.

In 2023, the PCA asked young off-spinner Parth Kalia to bowl in the nets against the Australians on the eve of their one-day match. Kalia bowled with guile and astuteness against the likes of all-time greats Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne. He repeatedly beat these batsmen with his flighted deliveries. And that was an achievement of sorts. So impressed were the Aussies that Smith and Warner patted him on the back, apart from offering him words of wisdom. Off-spinner Vaibhav Saini was another Gurdaspur bowler who gave the impression that he was made for better things in life. He also got some valuable advice from the Aussies. Marshal had told his pupils: “Take advice; listen to people. If you are not listening, you are lost. You are a sheep among wolves.”

The Gurdaspur team now boasts of players like brothers Arjun Randhawa and Aditya Randhawa, Parth Kalia and Vikrant. There are many others who are giving impressive performances. They are doing well now and are expected to do well in the future. Earlier, cricketers Japjot Singh and Paramveer Matoo made the city proud.

Marshal trains these youngsters in the Government College for Boys’ ground. College principal Ashwani Bhalla has been showing a lot of interest in the players’ performances. He has now asked Marshal to prepare the college team that will do duty in the prestigious GNDU Inter-college Tournament. Bhalla says he wants students to excel not only in cricket but in other sports too like hockey, football, volleyball, basketball and athletics. He says he is willing to go all hog to ensure that top-notch sportsmen are produced from his college. He constantly encourages Marshal and his players to perform well.

Two years ago, Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, a cricket buff, casually walked into the ground to witness a practice session. He then himself started practising with the players in the nets. He told nobody that he knew something about batting. However, his lofted shots, falling 20 feet deep into the stands, gave away his secret. Thereafter, he became a regular during practice sessions. He became the cricket ground’s guardian angel.

DC Himanshu Aggarwal donated an electronic scoreboard, a speedometer to notch the speed of fast bowlers and a bowling machine, all from his own pocket. After he was transferred to Jalandhar, he left the city with a heavy heart. But not before visiting the ground one last time to shake hands with the players. Inside his heart, he knew he had done his bit. His tenure in Gurdaspur indubitably has enriched the cricket centre.

Coach Marshal often tells his boys that like Ponty Bajwa, they should not be afraid of rejection at any stage of their career. “Treat failure as an opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely. When the going gets tough, change your thoughts and you will change yourself for the better. If you need anything, you can approach me. I will only be too happy to help you. You will be rejected not once, but many times. Do not think it is the end of the world. Keep on trying,” says coach Marshal. It is only a matter of time that the boys start finding a slot in state and national teams. And then Gurdaspur will have something to tell the world, apart from the mundane stories of drones and drugs.

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Amritsar