In a conversation with The Sunday Guardian, Dev Dutt Baghel talks about his journey, cricket, and the challenges the game is facing amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Dev Dutt Baghel is a cricket coach who has formerly been the manager of Delhi’s Under-14 and under-19 teams for the National Cricket School Games. Baghel is currently the national selector in the Indian National Deaf Cricket Association. Excerpts:
Q. When and where did you start cricket coaching?
A. I began my journey as a cricket coach at St Marks School in 2004. Later, I moved to Venkateswara International School, in 2008, and started coaching there.
Q. Is there anyone who has helped you in this field?
A. There is a long list, but at the initial level, former Cricketer Gurusharan Singh encouraged me a lot. His efforts were unparalleled.
Q. How many cricket tournaments have you organised so far?
A. So far, I have organised Harbeer Singh Memorial Tournament for U-14 seven times and Naresh Memorial Cricket Tournament for U-19 category five times respectively. In all these tournaments, leading clubs and players from Delhi-NCR participated.
Q. Please name some of your students who are playing at the state level.
A. My students have brought laurels to Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal for Under-16, Under-19, and Under-23 categories respectively. Siddhant Dogra from Himachal, Sagar Dahiya from Haryana, and Vikas Solanki from Delhi are playing under-23. I am happy with my talented players. I am sure that soon they are going to represent not only their states but the country as well.
Q. Do international cricketers visit your academy?
A. Yes, International players like Shane Watson, Murali Karthik, Gautam Gambhir, Yashpal Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Mayank Dagar, and Pradeep Sangwan, and many other players visit and practice here from time to time. They even keep encouraging our budding cricketers by giving them useful advice, so that they excel in their respective fields.
Q. Have you embarked upon any foreign tours?
A. I have toured overseas with the cricket team twice. I visited Australia in 2010 as a co-trainer with the Gush Cricket Club team, and for the second time, I visited Sri Lanka last year as the Manager and Chief Coach of the Deaf Cricket Team.
Q. Do you think online coaching is useful in a sport like cricket?
A. Cricket is an outdoor game, and an interactive contact sport. You can play shots, scalp wickets, and take catches on the ground only. Hence online coaching has no significance in cricket. It is a myth.
Q. Is there any tournament that Deaf Cricket Association is planning to organise soon?
A. Yes, the National Championship of 50–50 Overs will be held in Delhi from March 1 to March 5, 2021. Teams from five zones will play against each other. Based on that, the National team will be selected and the team will further represent the Indian team internationally during the Asia Cup in October this year, and the World Cup in February 2022.
