CHENNAI: It was October 18, 2009, a day after Kali Puja, a festival Kolkata celebrates with fervour. Bengal's senior men’s cricket team were preparing for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with a practice match featuring former greats like Sourav Ganguly, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, and Wriddhiman Saha at the Eden Gardens. The team was supposed to depart for Dhanbad in Jharkhand the next day for a preparatory tournament. It also featured a talented 24-year-old all-rounder, who had broken into the senior team the previous year. He was in the reckoning for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2010. He was one of the standbys in the previous campaign.
Later that day, a visit to Ruby hospital in the other end of the city for a friend turned into a career-ending accident. It's how Avik Chaudhari's career came to a screeching halt. Involved in a series crash, his entire lower-half was paralysed.
“A few hours after the accident, I went into ventilation. For three days, I was in a coma. When I came out of ventilation, an MRI found a fracture in my spinal cord. Then, I was in Apollo Hospital for another two to two-and-a-half weeks, and from there I was taken to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in New Delhi for rehabilitation,” he said.
“I was in so much pain that I couldn't process it properly. Due to heavy medication, I was unconscious most of the time, feeling nauseous and sleeping. When I went to Delhi, I saw patients who were 80% worse off than I was, so I thought, ‘Okay, fine.’ I didn't have full information about the injury back then. I thought if I did rehabilitation for 2 to 4 years, I might get back on my feet or at least move around and walk. But when I came back and started researching, I understood it wasn't that easy and maybe not possible,” he said. Accepting that he may not play cricket did not come easily. “It was gradual. Obviously, there were times when I was frustrated, but I didn't show it to my parents or friends because they were already heartbroken and devastated. I didn't want to make them more miserable,” he recalled.
Almost two decades on, the 41-year-old is a coach for Dum Dum Sporting Club in north Kolkata. Despite being on a wheelchair, he trains children in one corner of the Lichu Bagan ground in the area. Although the space seems small in size, it holds larger significance for the children hoping to carry Chaudhari’s legacy. But his return to the sport was not the easiest. He spent the first few years post the accident working at the Income Tax department, with cricket not on his mind.
But his colleagues from 2009 did not forget his talents. In fact, Shukla had convinced him to take up a coaching role in his academy in 2017. After retiring from first-class cricket, he (Shukla) started his academy, LRS Bangla Sports Academy (in Howrah), in 2017 and invited me. He asked me to join the coaching staff, saying I could just see how I feel and continue only if I felt okay,” he explained.
Then the love for the sport returned, within the first few days at the academy. “I was enjoying being around the bat and ball. I became a full-fledged coach and worked at his academy until lockdown in 2020. Then, Dum Dum Sporting club (where he started his cricket career) approached me after the lockdown to start coaching there. I started in 2020 and have been coaching there since,” he said.
While limited to a wheelchair, he continues to give back to the game. “I want to give capable players with potential a proper platform and chance to showcase their talent so they can progress from Under-16 to Under-19, Under-23 and beyond, like playing in the Bengal Pro T20 League. My goal is to guide them, teach them, and give them an opportunity to express their ability,” he said. And a few from the club have made it to the state team in various age categories. Md Imran, an opener, is part of the Bengal U16 team coached by former player Anustup Majumdar. Anish Rathi, an all-rounder, is part of the state U19 team.
While he may not be able to reach out and give his inputs hands-on, his presence at the ground is always a welcome sight, for his tale is a source of inspiration.