CHENNAI: When access to regular methods gets restricted, on or off the field, players improvise. Situation demanding, coaches do likewise. With training centres and playgrounds out of reach due to the lockdown, the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) has started daily, live classes on Facebook. Started in 2017, the academy has over 5,000 trainees in 25 centres across the country.
The academy is run by Aarka Sports Private Limited, a company which also manages the former India captain. Dhoni is not directly involved with the operations of the academy, but holds a stake and provides inputs. Contents of the Facebook live programme which started on Sunday (April 5) have also been approved by him, according to Aarka Sports officials.
“We didn’t devise this online manual looking ahead to a general shutdown. We were working on it for about a year and this break gave us an opportunity to launch it. Like most of our projects, Dhoni has gone through the details of this one and approved it. We consult him at the planning stage and finalise after he offers his suggestions,” said Mihir Diwakar, MD of Aarka Sports.
A former first-class medium-pacer for Bihar, who was part of Mohammed Kaif’s U-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2000, Diwakar informed that the academy has nearly 100 coaches. The centres are mostly in central, northern and eastern India. Plans to expand it to Chennai, Bengaluru and Hosur got stalled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The MSDCA also has an app called Cricketor with lessons, which the trainees can use when they are cut off from net practice and regular drills. They have content to run the half-an-hour class on Facebook live for about a month. Work is on to generate more. The start has received encouraging response, with more than 25,000 views on the first three days. Divided into groups of U-11, U-13, U-15, U-19 and U-23, trainees don’t have to pay additional fees for online classes.
“There are aspects that can be sharpened even on the terrace or any little expanse inside the house without hurling the ball. Bowlers can work on things like grip, loading, building action and action without releasing the ball. If they get these things right, release will become better. Spinners, in particular, can do a lot at home,” explained Satrajit Lahiri, chief coach of MSDCA.
“Plenty of things look minute but require constant polishing. Things like backlift, defending, playing strokes can be perfected by doing shadow practice. The online tutorials have separate episodes on batting, fast and spin bowling, fielding and wicketkeeping. There are chapters on mental and physical fitness as well,” said Lahiri, a former first-class player, who represented Tripura.