Lockdown Series: Revisiting the 22 yards through the lens of BUKSS, writes Dr. Himabrata Das

April 25: Barak Upatyaka Krira Sangbadik Songstha (BUKSS) has been at the forefront of sports journalism in the Barak Valley constantly re-imagining how to satiate the needs of a passionate readership base that eats, sleeps and breathes sports. In a farsighted move to enthrall the sports-loving public, they have started Facebook Live interactions with prominent names from the world of sports on their Facebook page much to the delight of sports enthusiasts near and far. Sitting idle in the days of lockdown and watching the sportsmen open their heart in the Facebook Live sessions of BUKSS is indeed a feast for the eye and ears.

Over the last week, they have featured veteran footballer Subir Dey, State level hockey player and coach Sanjit Pandey and the Badminton coach Kabir Ali. As a cricket lover, I particularly enjoyed watching two stalwarts as they spoke their hearts out on the telecast-two household names, both exceptionally gifted cricketers in Prakash “PROXY” Bhagat and Pritam “PD” Das. Proxy spoke about his dream visit to the National Cricket Academy, Bengaluru in August 2003 where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu and Piyush Chawla with Venkatesh Prasad and Madan Lal being his coaches.Team India were preparing for a home series against New Zealand at the time and the young left arm spinner got the opportunity to bowl to the legends VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly. “Dada hit me for 4 sixes off 6 balls at the Chinnaswamy Stadium”, Prakash recalls. “But that will remain the most memorable moment of my cricketing career.”

In a long career spanning 13 years from 1999 to 2012 at the State level, Proxy got selected for the Ranji Trophy in the 2010-11 season. PD had a truly memorable start to his Ranji career picking up 5 wickets on debut as a tearaway under-19 pacer. Like Proxy, PD too cherished the time he spent at NCA honing his skills as a lethal fast bowler. He went on to play in the controversial ICL where he received the tutelage of former South Africa star Daryl Cullinan and learned from the likes of Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar, Subhomoy Das and Mihir Dibakar. The Cachar Express takes us down memory lane mentioning his fond memories of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Final and a famous win for East Zone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. It was also fitting that PD made it to the coveted IPL franchise Mumbai Indians. He considers Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah as his ideals. Interestingly PD considers Proxy to be his role model during his early days and how the latter constantly motivated him after his famous stint at the NCA.

Proxy mentions Raihan, Samik and Raju as some of the best cricketers of his generation whilst showering praise on the promising youngsters Rahul and Thakuri. His most glorious moment came in 2008 at the NF Railway Stadium in Maligaon as the winning captain of the prestigious Nuruddin Trophy-a feat not replicated since by the District Team. “We did not realise what we had achieved until we saw a sea of people ex-cricketers and administrators gathered to receive us as we were descending down the Tarapur Flyover. There were unbelievable scenes.The late Sontosh Mohan Dev gave us Rs 25000 each and the adulation was unprecedented.”

“Practice and process are the two keys for every cricketer to survive the grind of the competitive sport. It’s important not to lose focus after a lean patch and to stay focussed. Perseverance will yield results”, PD tells young cricketers listening. “It is important to remain consistent. No one remembers one season wonders. Youngsters should emulate Virat Kohli’s insatiable hunger for runs. Everyone can play well in the nets. It’s in the match situation that the true character of the player gets questioned”, says Proxy as he offers words of advice to the youngsters. “We need to make sure that our youngsters play as many matches as possible so that they can develop the requisite match temperament”, he adds.

The human side of the game and its colourful characters enchant me as a cricket lover. Both these remarkable personalities had humble beginnings and they recall the significant people in their lives who always nurtured them-their parents,their coaches and their well-wishers. Both want to do a lot for cricket in the region and are always available to help budding cricketers in improving their game. Despite the stark difference in the speeds of their deliveries,what unites the soft spoken PD and the witty Proxy is their willingness to give and disperse their wisdom.

“Koi shikwa gila nahi hae.Bohut kuch mila hae cricket ke liye“, Proxy says with his signature mysterious smile, his bright eyes glowing with contentment.Like a 142 kmph yorker that castles the hesitant tail-ender, Pritam, the “bathroom singer” finishes with a beauty obliging to the multi-talented Sayan Biswas’ request conveying a message of optimism in these bleak times

“ZINDAGI HAR KADAM
EK NAYI JUNG HAI
JEET JAYENGE HUM
TU AGAR SANG HAI”

Also Read: Badshah in the BUKSS Box: Kaleidoscopic travel among sports, politics & social service

**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.