LONDON: AT a time when Dukes cricket balls are at the centre of a big controversy, owner Dilip Jajodia is set to take the Indian market by storm. The company, Dukes Cricket LLP, was officially launched in the country recently with Jajodia, who bought the British Cricket Balls Ltd from Grey Nicholls in 1987, visiting India to complete formalities.
Former India player Brijesh Patel will head the company's operations in India. The company was producing balls in India but the finishing, the most important aspect of the whole process, was done in England in the past. With the launch, balls will not only be produced but their finishing will also be done in India. The production unit will be in Meerut while the actual distribution will be done from Bengaluru. "We have set up a company in India and we are coming. We have huge ambitions for India and with the greatest respect for what I have seen in the country, I have got one great advantage," Jajodia told this daily.
The ongoing five-match Test series has brought with it unwanted attention as players from both camps are continuing to criticise the red cherry. With the balls going soft and out of shape in no time, they are being replaced quite frequently. Former players too joined the chorus demanding resolution of the issue as soon as possible.
Jajodia, meanwhile, said there is nothing wrong with the balls as he personally chooses them for the Test matches. He claimed external factors like warm weather, quality of bats and style of play, could be one of the reasons. "... the best you can do is to make sure that everything is correct as it's made, all the raw materials are processed. If it fails, unfortunately, it fails in use. Now, what they don't take into account is weather conditions, very hot, power of bats, all sorts of things. The problem is we have a long lead time to make the product. So you can't suddenly say, 'oh, these are not working, so we'll try this'. Can't do it," he told journalists while speaking on the issue.
Born in KGF
Jajodia's family hails from Rajasthan. "They are business people, so they moved around. They were in Madras for quite some time, Kolkata as well and in Delhi. I attended Bishop Cotton Boys' School in Bengaluru. I was born in Karnataka," he said. There is an interesting story around his birth as he was born in Kolar Gold Field (KGF), the place which gained prominence after the Yash-starrer 'KGF' hit the theatres. "My mother was on a night train from Madras to Bengaluru. She was having a problem then and luckily she had a nurse. In the middle of the night there was an emergency and they got off the train then I was delivered in Kolar Gold Field," Jajodia reminisced.
An accident while playing cricket at the Bishop Cotton School meant his cricketing career got over but he remained associated with the sport. "I was playing in a match at Bishop Cotton when the ball hit my face. It was traumatic but I survived it. It put an end to any possible advancement to my cricketing career but couldn't stop my love for the game. I carried on but cricket has always played some part in my life. So now I own the oldest cricket ball brand in the world."
As far as the subcontinent is concerned, we have manufacturing units there. The leather is local and sometimes we use buffalo hidesDilip Jajodia
Initial days in England
Jajodia started working as a fund manager in England after completing his education. He also forayed into mail order business where he again got in touch with cricket as delivering equipment was part of his business.
"I was a fund manager as that was my qualification. Then I started a mail order sort of business in cricket and cricket balls were a large part of it. I started to progress towards it as it was a money spinner. I spent more and more time on it and started getting better and better. Then the opportunity to buy Dukes came along. In 1987, I bought the Dukes from Grey Nicolls and the rest is history. It cost me a lot of money. At that time it was very, very difficult. But it was something I personally wanted to do, to save an iconic brand and I did that... otherwise it could have gone bankrupt. Unless you have a complete love for the game and maniacal sort of zero tolerance then you can succeed."
Buffalo hide instead of cow
Jajodia might be in the eye of storm over the quality of the balls of late but he is not the one to buckle under pressure. Known for calling a spade a spade, the octogenarian admitted they recently had to switch to buffalo hide instead of cowhide to manufacture balls in India.
"In England, we use hides of Scotland cows to manufacture the balls. As far as the subcontinent is concerned, India or Pakistan, we have manufacturing units there. The leather is local and sometimes we use buffalo hides. You know the religious aspect, I think, is unfortunate because at the end of the day, life is short and what we are using from a cow is a waste product. We don't kill a cow to get the skin to manufacture a cricket ball. The cow is already dead," he opined on a rather controversial subject as far as India is concerned.
Use of Kookaburra in County cricket
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has introduced Kookaburra balls in County cricket for a couple of stages since last year. The board believes the balls with lesser assistance for bowlers in English conditions will help bowlers develop their skills. Jajodia, however, billed it as a stupid move. "The Kookaburra balls do not work in English conditions. But let them use it. They actually used it in the first two games and the last two games last year. And this year, they are playing with it in the middle of the season. But if you ask any County players or management, they will say it's a stupid idea. The only man who thinks it's a good idea is managing director of English cricket Rob Key. His principle idea is that fast bowlers will develop if they are bowling with the balls that don't help. This is the cricketing man talking. So they are going to become faster bowlers by bowling with a rubbish ball. They are fixated with Ashes and that's all they are worried about."
Assessment of balls at NCA
Currently, the Dukes balls are being assessed at Bengaluru. Once the nod is given, the Dukes balls can officially be used by BCCI-affiliated units. Jajodia strongly believes it's the right time to launch the product in India. "We are ramping it up because we believe that in India, the time is right. I mean, the economy, the amount of enthusiasm, the facilities that the BCCI are putting into cricket. You know, the facility in Bengaluru. And frankly, when you see that facility and the investment and the grounds and everything, India will be a powerhouse for years. I'm not setting out to do anything like replacing existing balls with Dukes. I'm going to say, 'look, this is my ball, this is the price. I don't care what they're charging. I don't care what they're doing. This is it. Do you want it? You test it. You do what you like. If you want to buy it, that's fine. If you don't want to buy it, we've got people queuing up.