During Prince William and Kate Middleton’s first official visit to India, they attended a cricket match at the famous Oval Maidan in Mumbai, where thousands of young children meet to play cricket every day. This event was hosted by Indian cricketing legends, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar, at the Vengsarkar Cricket Academy. Both Vengsarkar and Tendulkar support the UK-based charity, Cricket Beyond Boundaries (CBB), which uses cricket as a vehicle to improve the lives of young impoverished children.
Dr. Samir Pathak established Cricket Beyond Boundaries in 2011. Dr Pathak is a gastrointestinal surgeon who also represented the England Universities team in 2004 and is a current playing member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He understands the impact that education and sport can have on children coming from underprivileged backgrounds.
“The purpose of this scheme is multi-faceted,” said Lord Bhikhu Parekh, the Patron of the charity alongside Vengsarkar, and added that “young cricketers benefit via exposure to different cricketing approaches and from playing and practicing in different conditions against a variety of opponents.” He further noted that “more importantly, the boys are exposed to different cultures, life experiences and the classroom which, combined with their cricketing experience, should hold them in good stead for their future endeavors.” Pathak himself believes that “education combined with cricket empowers these youngsters to fulfill their potential.”
Since its inception, Cricket Beyond Boundaries has facilitated the visit of eighteen poor young talented Indian children to not only study but also enhance their cricketing potential at leading UK schools such as Durham school, Cheadle Hulme, Denstone College and King’s College Taunton. One such cricketer, Sarfaraz Khan, is now playing for the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore and also the India U-19 team.
A string of former and current India cricketers have been impressed with the impact of the scheme. Both Dilip Vengsarkar and R Ashwin already send young cricketers to the UK via CBB. Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have attended previous fundraisers for CBB. Others like Saba Karim, the former India stumper who is now a national selector, and Nilesh Kulkarni and Sahil Kukreja (former Mumbai opening batsman), have also weighed in with their inputs.
This summer the charity will see four young cricketers coming to England. One of the youngsters, Rupesh Borade, who is an orphan from Chembur Children’s Home, already visited the UK last year where he both studied and trained at the Durham School. Rupesh witnessed the suicide of his parents (due to extreme poverty) at the tender age of six. This opportunity has allowed him to forget his dark preceding years and embrace a future of unbridled opportunity. This year he will be returning for a longer stint, alongside another orphan cricketer from the Chembur Childrens Home, both of whom are coached by Kukreja. Both were present at the event on Sunday, alongside Prithvi Shaw, another child prodigy who has benefitted from the scheme. There are two other cricketers coming to the UK this year from the Vengsarkar academy in Pune and from R Ashwin’s academy in Chennai.
For more information about CBB, please contact Dr Samir Pathak: [email protected] or +44 7779 607659CBB’s benefactors could be available for media interviews upon request Dilip Vengsarkar and Lord Bhikhu Parekh (Patrons), R Ashwin, Sunil Gavaskar, Farokh Engineer, Nilesh Kulkarni, Saba KarimCBB website: www.cricketbeyondboundaries.org.uk
