BENGALURU: The BCCI'S Centre of Excellence, tucked away next to the Bengaluru airport, can be a strange place. But within the context of Indian cricket, it's the place where cricketing dreams either die or are reborn. The place, ever since it came into being in 2024, has copped a fair bit from fans, scribes and former players but its existence is fuel to a lot of ambitions and aspirations.
On the final day of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals between North and West Zone, on a net away from the action, B Sai Sudharsan, ruled out of the Sri Lanka series with a toe injury, was being put through his paces. And the drill itself was very interesting. He was receiving customised throwdowns from two people; wet tennis balls dug into the wicket from about 17-18 yards. "Tell me when you want a rest," he had said after confidently pulling one of the short balls in front of square.
This time last year, the southpaw had been earmarked to be India's long time No. 3 in Tests. Now? Having seen Devdutt Padikkal lock that spot for the foreseeable future, Sudharsan, officially recovering from a toe injury, has no choice but to graft and grind to get his place back. He was living the dream in 2025. He's now working towards making it a reality, again.
On the evening after stumps on the third day, Musheer Khan was giving a peek into his own dreams. "Red-ball cricket is very important to me," he said after taking West Zone to the doorstep of victory with a composed 96. "Playing a Test for India is a very big deal. From a very young age, I have played multi-day matches so it's become second nature to me."
And does he flick the switch between red-ball and white-ball cricket? What are the kind of things he does in the off season? "My season never ends (smiles)," he said. "From morning till evening, I'm playing, either in the nets or in a game." He would, of course, have it no other way.
For Sudharsan and Khan, both of whom have lofty ambitions, the CoE may just be another facility but it still acts as a bridge. Nutrition, playing facilities, gym and the help of former India players if they so wish to use the proximity to the likes of VVS Laxman, L Balaji and Sunil Joshi among others.
For the less privileged, though, the last week has truly been transformative. After East Zone bundled out North East Zone on the third afternoon, both Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Shami spent a good 30 minutes with their opponents. "It's always good to share your thoughts and experiences because, I know for these guys it's never easy," Kishan said. "They are not getting the best practice, they are not getting the best pitches to play on... the conditions are never easy for them. Here, we play a lot of matches and we are more experienced and much more aware of the situation. It's not that they are not working hard, they are working hard but it's just the atmosphere and the facilities... I feel they are not getting it. So, whenever I get a chance, I'm okay with just sharing my thoughts."
This sort of space away from the cameras also offers some banter. When Tilak Varma, the South Zone captain, was walking through one of the corridor, he stopped as soon as he spotted Kishan. And before long, the southpaws, captains of two of the four semifinalists, started discussing their fitness scores. Away from the pressure cooker of tournaments, it was a reminder that these cricketers may be rivals playing for the same spot in the team. But they are also friends and colleagues who share a common dream.
Shortly before this conversation, Akash Deep, who hasn't bowled a delivery in anger in over six months, was clutching a banana in one hand and his shades in the other. He was presumably off to some rehab work out in the gym. Since being ruled out with a stress fracture, he has seen other seamers make a name for themselves across formats. Now, though, is not the time for complaining. If he wants to wear that India jersey again, the hard yards will have to be done.
That hard yards will be what the likes of Ravichandran Smaran will seek to do in the semifinals, scheduled to start on Sunday. The southpaw, already one of the best batters in Karnataka, will know that there he put his name up for consideration as long as has another big domestic campaign. "I feel the more expectations you have, the more pressure you put on yourself," he had told this daily earlier this month. The left-hander's one clear goal for the season is to breach the 1000-run mark for his state.
Across the four semifinalists, there will be other dreams. For North Zone's Arshdeep Singh, who always travels with the red ball in his kit bag, it is about making his presence count in this format. For the 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, it could be the next stage of his developmental process.
Come Sunday morning, most of these dreams and prayers will clash across Grounds 1 and 2.
