Goods for Services: Scouts and officers keep show running

CHENNAI: Much like their home ground — Palam A Stadium is quite far from the heart of New Delhi — Services’ presence in domestic cricket has been peripheral. They tend to punch above their weight every now and then, like they did during their five-wicket Vijay Hazare Trophy win against Haryana on Monday. But, cricket for the players of a side that isn’t under BCCI’s purview — Services is run by the Services Sports Control Board — isn’t just about what transpires on the field.

“Being with us is more of a way of life,” said coach Raju Singh. “There’s a lot of things on offer: professional opportunities, financial stability, and an improved lifestyle.”

Those aren’t words of exaggeration, going by what’s on offer. There’s a non-officer military rank in the army, navy or air force and a salary starting from Rs 30,000. That, a fitness-focussed lifestyle and freedom to concentrate on cricket. “Our job is to ensure that the men we’ve selected do their best. We haven’t tasted that much success, but keeping the process going is key for laying a better foundation.”

The selection bit that Raju refers too also ties in with his remark on opportunities, if light is shed on how his team’s feeder system works. Gahlaut Rahul Singh’s transition from Hyderabad to Services does that perfectly.

Hailing from Kolkata and owing to his father’s posting in Secunderabad, Rahul began his professional journey in Hyderabad. Coaching from Vijay Paul (who’s also mentored Ambati Rayudu), List A stints in 2013 and 2014, and the state’s U-19 captaincy later, he became an U-23 standby.

That’s when Brijesh Nair happened. The then Indian Army coach asked him to apply under sports quota. A havildar rank and good performances in the Inter-Services tournament later, Rahul was in. A breakthrough debut Ranji Trophy season happened in 2016-17 (945 runs at 72.69, fifth-highest overall). That snowballed into an India A warm-up-clash opportunity against Australia in 2017. “It was quite the experience, watching (David) Warner and (Steven) Smith in action,” reminisced the 23-year-old southpaw.

“That’s what we do. We keep a check on promising talent in other states who fail to progress, and we offer them employment and the opportunity to turn out against the best,” observed Raju.

Rahul isn’t the only one who has such a story. Arun Bamal (Haryana), Amit Pachhara (UP), Nitin Tanwar (Delhi), Shamsher Yadav (Haryana) and Hardik Sethi (Rajasthan) have all followed a similar path. Much like their team’s batting mainstay, these youngsters too might end up getting a taste of the national level some day.
rahulravi@newindianexpress.com