A lot has been said and written about a lot of cricket grounds around the world. The Lords is said to be the Mecca of Cricket. The Eden Garden is said to The Lords of the East. The MCG is considered as one of the seven wonders of the sporting world. India, a cricket crazy nation has over 25 international cricket stadiums. Each ground has its own importance and significance. However there is a ground, not of international stature, which is more famous and significant than most of the international stadiums.
If one is an avid cricket follower, it is not surprising to have heard of the legendary Shivaji Park even though there has been not a single international match played here. More importantly it is a ground of special importance to aspiring cricketers from Mumbai and Indian cricket fans for personal and other reasons.
Adjacent to the headquarters of the Sena party, has historical and cultural value because of the political and social gatherings it has witnessed, and continues to witness. However, to the modern India and Mumbai its significance is different. Named after the great Maratha warrior Chatrapati Shivaji, it has turned out to be the cradle of many international cricketers of India.
One of the wonderful stories of this ground was how Vasu Paranjype coached his pupil asking him to mimic Hanif Mohammed saying ''when Hanif played his forward defensive in the Brabourne Stadium you could hear the sound (of the ball hitting the middle of the bat) as far away as Churchgate Station.'' As the legend goes, Hanif Mohammed replacement as the ‘little master’ among the cricket fraternity was Mr Paranjype’s pupil Sunil Gavaskar.
Another one was about how decades later two other kids walked all the way from their school carrying their kits to this same ground and trained with players twice or more their age, training for hours together after school in four different net sessions. It also known that Ramakanth Archrekar placed coins on the stumps and his students, if were undefeated throughout the day could keep the coins as souvenirs. And as history books reveal, Vinod Kambli’s friend Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has treasured 16 coins.
Having heard such wonderful stories, your truly had imagined this ground to be like other training grounds, having nets and different types of pitches, where young trainees prepare to realize their dream. However, what was seen there was something out of the world, something extra-ordinary and something truly sensational.
The ground is a big ground which can stage two cricket matches at a time. However, on that ordinarily hot Sunday, the Shivaji park was a stage for not one, not two but over a hundred matches. All that was needed was the 22 yards and a little more. There were bowlers taking run-ups from different directions and fielders waiting for the right cricket ball to come their way. Over a thousand kids and men, enjoy their tennis ball bet matches, while elsewhere there are other groups training with the leather ball. No one seems to have any worries of being hit by the batsman of another match who is batting behind the fielder. At one end there was a girl’s team having a fielding practice. There were teams of different sizes, different ages and playing with different equipment, different genders and with different objectives but the one thing common in all was the passion and love for the game. It was a sight to behold and more importantly it was a ‘divine’ experience.
The ‘experience’ that makes you feel that you are now at the very Shivaji Park where their ‘God’ was groomed. Yes, the very Shivaji park where Sachin Tendulkar 'the cricketer' was born.
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