PITCH PERFECT

How a European family made an arid Andhra town its home and turned it into a thriving sports hub

- RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

On September 5, at the start of the firstround Duleep Trophy match between India C and India D at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, commentators said on air that the wicket and the weather were “nice and easy”. By the time the phrase was repeated for the third time, India D had lost three quick wickets, including that of their captain, Shreyas Iyer. All three wickets were claimed by fast bowlers, but it was the fourth one that truly excited a European-looking, Telugu-speaking man in the VIP stand.

Moncho Ferrer, 53, was not rooting for any team in particular, but he was genuinely impressed by right-arm fast bowler Anshul Kamboj’s delivery that caught batsman Yash Dubey off guard. A slight edge sent the ball thumping into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Moncho must have felt that the dismissal captured the spirit of the cricket stadium that he passionately built over two decades in Anantapur, a small arid town in southwestern Andhra Pradesh. “That dismissal was typical of the Anantapur Cricket Ground,” said Moncho, his face lighting up. “The ball rises fast and quick and the batsman has to get his bat and hands up. A nick is all it takes to be in the keeper’s hands.” Interestingly, Kamboj topped the bowling chart with 16 wickets in five Duleep Trophy innings, also winning the player of the series award.

Anantapur, a drought-prone and bone-dry town, hosted four Duleep Trophy games this season, creating a sporting milestone in this part of Andhra Pradesh that is close to the border with Karnataka. The seats were full of excited fans who cheered and clapped through every moment. The well-maintained ground rivals those in England and Australia in terms of size, infrastructure and the nature of the wicket.