ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Vasai village to root for UAE cricketer Swapnil Patil

The player’s family has set up a giant screen inside their house for relatives and villagers to enjoy the match.

On Saturday, the whole nation will be supporting the Indian team when they play against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their third match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at Perth. But things are different with the locals of the little Darpale village in the interiors of Vasai. They want India to win but will back a player from the UAE camp.

The son of soil, Swapnil Patil, UAE’s wicket-keeper batsman, will be up against India and his former Mumbai teammates.

In a report in MiD-Day, Patil’s father, Prakash was quoted as saying, “All this while, everyone in my village has been supporting India, but this time they will be backing Swapnil too. He has made this village proud and it will be a dream moment for us. After all, the World Cup is the biggest stage in international cricket.”

The player’s family has set up a giant screen inside their house for relatives and villagers to enjoy the match. When Patil featured for UAE in the World T20 Championship last year, the giant screen was set up in a field.

“Since the matches are in the morning, we have to keep the screen indoors,” said Patil’s eldest brother Rohan, who runs a stationery shop in the village.

“The World T20 matches were telecast in the evening and that’s why the screen could be kept in the open, “added Rohan.

The villagers want Swapnil to score a century but want India to win the tie.

“It will be a fairytale if he scores a century against India. It will be a memorable moment for all of us here. But India should win the match. Akhir dil hai Hindustani (After all, I am an Indian,” said Pritam Chaudhari.

Neighbour Nivedita Patil wants Patil to bat till the end, so that they can stay glued to the TV set for the entire match.  Nivedita says she will pray more for his success as India is a strong side.

Swapnil shifted to UAE in 2006 after years of toil on Mumbai’s grounds. “He was rewarded with under-14 scholarships from the MIG Cricket Club and Dilip Vengsarkar Academy. He played for Mumbai in the U-19 and U-22 age group tournaments and was also in the Ranji Trophy probables in 2004-05, but did not get rewarded with the Mumbai first-class cap which he still regrets,” said the senior Patil, who played cricket for Bank of Maharashtra.

In 2006, Prakash received an offer from a Dubai-based organisation — Emirates Contracting Company — asking his son to sign for Yogi Group Cricket Club.

“They came to know about Swapnil after seeing videos of his batting and wicket-keeping which the Mumbai Cricket Association had. Shifting to UAE looked like a good prospect. He would get to play his cricket and earn good money as well,” added Prakash.

Patil’s wife Manali will be eager to see him play against his former Mumbai teammate Ajinkya Rahane on Saturday. “He is very excited to play against India. He is also looking forward to meeting his fellow Mumbai cricketers Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma,” said Manali.