MUMBAI: The fishermen at Moragaon in Juhu are original inhabitants of Mumbai, but when it comes to the Indian Premier League they will be rooting for the Rajasthan Royals.
A local teen by the name of Shrideep Mangela, who has featured in the under-19 and under 22 tourneys for Mumbai, has been selected to play for the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals side.
Mangela won selection after former Indian coach Greg Chappell identified him as being among the most talented players in the country in a Cricket Star hunt last week.
Ever since that announcement, the community, not necessarily known for its affinity towards the gentleman’s game, has taken a liking to the Twenty20 version. Rajesh Mangela, an office bearer of the Moragaon Macchimaar Vividh Karyakari Samiti, a representative body of the local fisher-folk, said “we are eagerly awaiting to see Royal take the ground.
Even though Shrideep is not expected to feature in the matches immediately, the community will support for the Royals in all their matches. We surely can do this much for a team that is promoting talent from our region,” he said.
Talk of IPL, sixes and fours, cover drives and Yorkers, has suddenly engulfed the region. In fact, many, especially youngsters, turn out to watch Shrideep practice in the nets at the nearby Conwood ground.
As for the boy himself he is quietly confident of making an impression. The southpaw, whose stroke play matches the elegance and ease of a Yuvraj Singh, says he is raring to play and learn alongside heroes like Shane Warne. Ask him who is his favourite batsman, and the confident lad will say he has modelled his game on the West Indian great Brian Lara.
Shrideep’s brother Mundeep also plays for the Mumbai Ranji team, and the two brothers are already heroes for the community. Shrideep’s friend Vasudev Keni, who also practices with them at times, says that many kids in the area have taken to cricket because of the two.
Appreciative of the locals’ support, Shrideep’s father Ganpat says his family would like to give back to the community. “If my two boys make it big in cricket, we will build a playground for promoting local talent,” he says.
