DRONA,The Right Mix of Aggression and Serenity, writes Dr. Himabrata Das

April 26: What connects rockstars from different generations? It is their passion for the game that can transcend barriers of age.This occurs to me as I am in the middle of a conference call with two gifted people in young Prashant Kumar and the veteran Tathagata “Tatha” Deb Roy and the conversation is enriching. Observe closely and there is divinity in sport. We were talking about the historic win by their sparkling team in the recently concluded U-16 RG Baruah Tournament.

Tatha is a very keen observer of the game.He used some advanced tactics to keep his team competitive throughout the Tournament. “It’s very important to learn something before you ask someone else to do it. Before I gave the boys any drill, I would try to do myself first. I am glad that the team got appreciated everywhere because of their work ethic and their discipline. It’s also important that you have a plan in place. I have always championed playing fearless cricket. Show the good ball respect. But if you sniff an opportunity, give it your everything.

We scored heavily throughout the Tournament. In the first game against Lakhipur, I realised spin will be the key. Unless you have genuine pace, you will not bother batsmen. Both of our pacers bowled well and kept it tight. That helped in the pressure building on the batsmen that the spinners could exploit. After two dominant performances in the first two games against Lakhipur and Karbi Anglong, we had a tough game against Karimganj. The previous day our District U-19 team suffered a shocking defeat. And all eyes were on the next match. We got them all out cheaply and batted really well. That win meant a lot to the team.

We were exceptional against Kokrajhar. The win in the final against Guwahati was very satisfying. I told the boys not to get awed by the big city boys. Very often, in life as in sport, we waste too much time analysing the outside world when in reality it is only you that you should be focused on. I used to try and convey that message. We did it for the first time. I am fortunate that the boys respect me. I asked Sudip who has scores of over 150 in school cricket to show some aggression for 30 balls in the middle order. He responded by scoring 39 off 16 balls. You want game changers like that in the team. Prashant was a part-time keeper and I had 10 days to train him. I made him perform NCA level drills. And he kept really well. In fact, that confidence rubs onto your batting. Cricket is a mind game and you have to wrest the psychological advantage from the opposition”, I listened with rapt attention.

Starting off as a tearaway fast bowler, Tatha burst onto the scene during the ’94 camp conducted by Pradip Ingle. He learnt the game from astute cricketing brains such as Sujit Nandi, Sujoy Dutta Roy, Salil Ankola and the legends Eknath Solkar and Gundappa Vishwanath. Tatha went up the ranks through U-16 and U-19 before making his Senior District debut in the 2000-01 season. He went on a number of exposure tours to Kolkata, Mumbai,Pune (Caddence Cup) and Bangalore (all India Pepsi Cup organised by Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy).

Amidst two outstanding stints with India Club and Bijoyee Sangha, Tatha toured Bangladesh in 1999-2000 representing India Club. He cites his best moment as getting picked for the U-19 state school team in the prestigious CK Nayudu Trophy. The young captain has tremendous respect for Tatha and mentions how much he and his teammates have improved under Tatha and Soumitra Biswas. Prashant, Bicky, Niloy, Anurag, Abhay, Sudip and the others in the squad have benefited immensely from DRONA.

As I meditate upon the call long after we have disconnected, I ponder over the true meaning of TATHAGATA, a fitting name for someone who aspires perfection.

**Dr. Himabrata Das, Registrar, Department of Psychiatry, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital (TMCH). Apart from this, he is a vivid lover of sports, an eloquent commentator and a columnist.