Kapil bats on a different wicket

MUMBAI: Students at Bandra’s St. Stanislaus High School saw a different side of cricket icon Kapil Dev on Friday: the cerebral one. Kapil is in Mumbai to promote the ICC under-19 World Cup cricket to be played in Dhaka next February.
He spoke less cricket and more about health, education, leadership, diet, discipline and on his heroes. Kapil was touched by the warm reception he received.“This one is the best among the 13 cities I have toured. That’s why Mumbai is Mumbai. You have leaders and trendsetters here,’’ he said. “You need passion to play, you may work hard but if the surroundings are not good it may be of no use,’’ he added.
Leadership qualities are best developed while at school, Kapil said, adding, “A leader is one who does not lie to himself.’’ On his student days, he said, “I was a poor student but in demand on the sports day when every teacher wanted me in his team. Sometimes, I do feel I should have studied more.’’
He talked of his heroes who changed him over the years. “When I began it was Gundappa Viswanath who was not just a great cricketer but a great human being. The second was Mother Teresa, a fountain of service. The third was Nelson Mandela. Imagine he was in jail for 27 years. But when he came out he carried no anger, because he had a cause to fight.’’
Kapil drew a parallel to his own story. “CCI’s Keki Tarapore once denied me an extra helping of chapati when we were at a national camp. I told him that I needed it as I was a fast bowler. ‘There are no fast bowlers in India,’ he told me. I have no anger but gratitude for the late Tarapore because he told me which direction I had to go. I had to become a fast bowler to prove him wrong. That was my motivation. I played for India within two years.’’
In a lighter vein he pulled a fast one on the schoolchildren by asking them if they would take an oath. They promised without knowing what the oath was and were left to regret it. The oath was: “I shall not take autographs or give one.’’
This way Kapil spared himself the chore of signing autographs. However, he obliged the teachers. One of them took it on Std XI English text book, on page 35 where there was a pre-reading exercise, a chapter titled ‘From bowler to batsman,’ written by Romi and Kapil Dev.
“Where did this come from,’’ asked a surprised Kapil, adding, “Look at this, people like us in textbooks.’’ Principal Lawrie Ferrao was impressed by Kapil’s interaction.He, of course, is used to cerebral sportsmen. “Current hockey star Viren Rasquinha was a rank holder (13th) at the SSC exams,’’ he revealed.
Finally, there was some cricket. Kapil came out to bat and using a stump for a bat smashed sixes all over Hill Road, the roof of the school and the swimming pool.