By Geetanjali Atri
His international cricket career may have fizzled out faster than an open can of soda but Jacob Martin who is currently lodged in prison for alleged human trafficking, is set to make a comeback to the gentleman's game soon albeit inside the confines of Tihar Jail.
Published: May 12, 2011, 02:10 PM (IST)
Edited: May 12, 2011, 02:10 PM (IST)
Jacob martin will lead Tihar Jail’s cricket squad called Divya Jyoti’s Tihar 11 © Getty Images
By Geetanjali Atri
New Delhi: May 12, 2011
His international cricket career may have fizzled out faster than an open can of soda but Jacob Martin who is currently lodged in prison for alleged human trafficking, is set to make a comeback to the gentleman’s game soon albeit inside the confines of Tihar Jail.
Martin, a former India player, has secured a berth in Tihar’s professional cricket squad, that has been pitted against a team from popular radio station Red FM here. Also, Santosh Kumar Singh, the main convict in Priyadarshani Matoo rape and murder case, has procured a place in the playing eleven.
A joint initiative of the jail authorities and Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, an NGO working inside the jail, the team of inmates is named as “Divya Jyoti’s Tihar 11”.
“We are training the inmates in cricket as a tool to make them learn a lot of positive aspects associated with the game. Team-work, focused approach and crisis management skills are also being imparted to the inmates, employing cricket as a medium,” says Swami Vishalanand, spokesperson, DJJS.
Radio Jockey Ronak would lead the opponent team Red FM at the home-ground of Tihar. The radio station has come up with a squad of 12 players, including five Red FM employees, six from its listeners and one woman player.
“We invited entries from our listeners to be a part of our cricket team as they should also get a chance to connect to those behind the bars. Surprisingly, we got over 5000 entries a day,” informs Ronak.
Team Red FM would also have popular radio jockeys Kabir and Shanky-Panky.
“The team will take a short-training session from Sanjay Bhardwaj, who is the coach of India cricket star Gautam Gambhir,” adds Ronak.
DJJS has approached several other corporate houses inviting them to send their teams to play Tihar squad in the premises of the largest jail in Asia.
“By inviting teams from outside for tournaments, we hope to bridge the gap between the inmates and the world outside. Also, to enrich the capabilities of the inmates and giving them an exposure,” says Sunil Gupta, PRO Tihar.
“During the training process special emphasis has been laid on endurance and stamina development of the inmate players, along with their strength practice and technique learning,” says their permanent coach Rajinder Pal, who is a former Ranji player and has also coached Kapil Dev.
However, for the past few days in his absence, his brother Ravinder Pal, also a former Ranji player, is mentoring the net-practice of the inmate players.
“Under the disciplined coaching we are sure our team will do well even when pitted against non jail teams from corporate houses and sports authorities,” says Neeraj Kumar, DG Prisons, Tihar Jail.
The funds for the training and cricket kit for the players have been arranged from the Prisoners Welfare fund, though the authorities say they welcome sponsorship for strengthening the standards of their cricket team training.
“In the future, the inmates would not play under the banner name of Tihar as they will not be welcomed in their work experience in the outside world. Therefore, Divya Jyoti Cricket Academy will be established for the purpose,” informs an official source.
© PTI
