Master Class Session 4
Feb 12 2007
Sir Geoffrey wows Cricket Star Academy boys!
The boys had a session of Master Class quite unlike the earlier ones. Sir Geoffrey Boycott was specially flown in to share his wealth of batting expertise. Once on the field, he was anxious to meet the boys. The boys were a little surprised when, in a school teacher’s voice, he asked the boys to arrange themselves and to maintain silence while he described the art of batting and, in particular, the merit of playing the straight drive. The boys looked on as Sir Geoffrey, in his characteristically engaging tone, explained the nuances of batting. He explained the need to get the feet in line with the ball, the use of the right elbow and the value of using the top hand. Besides these, he was particularly emphatic on making use of the crease. |
When negotiating seam and swing, he felt the swing in particular was more difficult to play. But the way to judge the shot was to take time in playing the ball, and to use the techniques he had talked about to perfect one’s skill. He told the boys that the brain, besides the bat, was the best instrument at a cricketer’s disposal. He spoke not only of skill but also of character in meeting with the disconcerting tactics of fast bowlers and their use of the short ball.
The boys were then put to test and Geoffrey showed such enthusiasm that he resembled a schoolboy himself, ecstatic at a great shot and aggravated at a false stroke. There were a few hilarious moments when he named the boys. Karan Joshi was labelled Rahul Dravid II for his impeccable defence. It was not hard for him to see that Sukhvir was a bowler by the jeers and sarcastic cheers that the boys egged him on with when he strode out with the bat in hand.
But the boy who caught his eye was Samandeep, who he named ‘Junior Bhajji’. He played the straight drive perfectly. Later in the day, Geoffrey posed with Samandeep for the press photographers, making a few more happy memories.
