The Nagpur Cricket Academy has seen a sharp rise in admissions following Vidarbha’s consecutive Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy titles.
Madhav Bakre first saw the transformative possibilities in cricket more than a decade ago. He took over the Ramdaspeth Youth Sporting Club from his brotherinlaw, the former Vidarbha cricketer Satish Takle, and transformed it into the Nagpur Cricket Academy in 2007.
Today, following successive titles in the Ranji Trophy and the Irani Trophy, the number of kids training at the cricket school at South Ambazari Road in the Orange City has risen from about 150 to close to 250.
Building dreams
Bakre, 50, holds a master’s degree in business administration, and he worked in the computer sales, land development as well as construction fields before changing his focus to cricket. In his words: “...for the love for the game.” At 41, he set everything else aside to invest in a sport he had wanted to play as a youngster, and the rent from his properties pays his bills and helps him run his academy.
“There is a shop and a few properties. I am living off that. I don’t spend my money on useless things like alcohol or parties. All my money is for cricket,” he declares proudly.
The 20odd turf wickets, six cement wickets and four bowling machines at the Nagpur Cricket Academy are perhaps testament to Bakre’s frugality. He even spent close to ₹40 lakh on black cotton soil so the pitches generate bounce.
The VCA pact
Bakre and his academy have a deal with the Vidarbha Cricket Association.
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