Fan of The Week-Kaustubh

As a Cricket Fan, there is no greater thrill than to see a bowler marking his run up before the first ball is bowled. Some bowlers do inspire and grab attention by just the way they run in and bowl that gravity defying toe crusher. There is both rhythm and music to a bowlers run up. Take for instance Brett Lee, his smooth run up,tearing in towards the crease, much like a cheetah hunting for its prey, that burst of speed and then finally that jump before sending in that lethal missile towards the unsuspecting toes. The ball creeps in between the bat and pad, a final thud into the stumps, giving sheer delight to the bowlers and an animated cheer from the crowd. For a Bowler there is nothing more delightful than hearing the ball crashing into the timber and being uprooted out of the ground. For a batsman it has to be the ball hitting the center of the bat, racing past the bowler and crashing into the boundary billboards. Each its own defining moment, each its own height of thrill.

You might wonder, why such an elaborate description for a bowlers run up or a batsman's shot making skills. The reason is because it leaves the fan with admiration and a kind of respect in the mind of the fan for the player, and it keeps growing in the minds of the fan, just like a creeper, constantly watered by the players on-field performance. We could feel the same in a fan at the Gen-next Cricket Ground. As is our normal routine we entered the ground, and started to get ready with the days session. We noticed that in the distance closer to the Centre Pitch there was a young boy on a wheelchair. Our curiosity got to us, as we wanted to know who this young boy was so focussed in his ways, much like a zen master, having a close look at the pitch. Ladies and Gentlemen, its our pleasure to introduce to you Kausthub our fan of the week. Ask him about his favorite cricketer, has to be Ashwin of course with a sparkle in his eyes.

For the world Kaustubh may be a special child, for us he is a very special fan who one day hopes that he will be able to catch up with his cricketing hero Ashwin. We decided to make Kaustubh as the-Gen-Next Celebrity of the week. We conducted a quick fire interview with him and he was sporting enough to oblige:

Favorite Batsman: Virat Kohli

Favorite Bowler: R Ashwin

Favorite All Rounder: R Ashwin

Best Match he has witnessed: 2011 World Cup final, stands out in his mind not only because India won and took the cup home, but also because he was in Tirunelveli undergoing treatment and had to endure a lot of physical pain, despite that He did watch the match on TV. Wow!!! Fan defining Moment. Kaustubh we are proud of you.

Favorite Hero: Vijay Sethupati

Favorite Heroine: Keerthi Suresh

Favorite Food: He is a foodie by nature and loves anything that is tasty

Favorite Sweet : Kaju Katli

Your Dream: Here is where he left us stumped, the admiration just grew after he spoke to us about his dream. Just a few words before we allow Kaustubh to take us through his dream. He says that when he goes to a stadium to witness a match, key moments of the match are something that people like him miss out on, in the midst of the din and more importantly the fans jumping out of their seats. So here is what Kaustubh has to relate to us: 

Accessibility for everyone, a major no in most cricket stadiums in India and the World

The opinion that most cricket fans and experts alike agree on is that watching their favourite sport from the stadium is an experience that is a must and in a different level altogether. That is what the differently abled are missing out on. They are as passionate and as crazy, if not more about cricket as everyone else. Most of them have resorted to just being fans and followers of the game after their condition disabled them from playing professional cricket. There are wheelchair cricket teams and tournaments but not every specially abled person has the strength or fitness required to play, the case in point being me. Every disabled person I have known about has the ability to shrug off the negatives and find a positive way to move forward. In this case, even though they can't play the game they want to know everything there is about it and want to become writers, analysts, statisticians- anything and everything  related to cricket, off the playing arena

Every cricket expert will agree that to become what they dream about, they would need to watch the game from the stands .This is what I am trying to advocate for the differently abled. Everyone of us has ambitions and dreams about cricket. Watching the game from the stadium is the best first step to achieve those ambitions. The struggles of our day-to-day life disappear when we watch the sport we adore. There can exist a few people saying watching the TV in the comfort of home is the best thing for the disabled, I would seek to answer that question in the following paragraph.

Home is the comfort zone for many of the differently abled cricket lovers. But, watching from home has its drawbacks for us. Watching the electronic TV screen for long stretches comes with its own hazards .The other reason to watch from the stadium is, at home we will keep getting reminded of our struggle during every break in play. But, at the ground we will be engaged with the rest of the crowd during breaks in play.

I can say that for sure as I had visited the Chepauk for one IPL game 7 years ago. Me and my dad struggled too much, I had to be carried all the way from the parking area to our seat. Once we got there, it was a different story. I forgot the struggle altogether once the crowd got into their mojo and only after I reached home did it take its toll. I enjoyed the whole game with a newfound increase in my passion and respect for cricket. It is safe to say I hadn't loved the game as much as I do now before that experience. That experience is what I want for every differently-abled cricket enthusiast.  

This dream of mine is out of  the resulting hunger to make a change for every differently abled . Please do not see this article as a rant, see the genuine cause in it. I would also request every reader to share this with the hashtag #AccessibleCricketGroundsForAll and share this with everyone known to them. Let's go make a change!

Selfless thought Kaustubh, We are with you and hope that you realize your dreams very soon. May the likes of you grow and keep visiting us. There is a very high likelihood that you may meet up with your favorite all rounder Ashwin in the next few days.