Pathan brothers open up Patna pitch

Patna: Budding cricketers here now have another pitch to hone their skills on.

Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP), run by brothers Yusuf and Irfan Pathan, was launched in Patna on Wednesday, months after the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy opened doors in the city.

Yusuf, the powerful and aggressive cricketer, came to Patna for the launch at Jagjivan Ram Stadium on the Khagaul-Phulwarisharif road near Danapur railway station.

He said: “Patna is one of the largest cities in the region with a large appetite for cricket. With the launch of CAP in Patna, we are expanding in the eastern region. We are looking to tap into the huge reserve of talents and providing them world-class coaching infrastructure so that the city can start churning out district-, state- and national-level players.”

The first batch of CAP cricketers were elated. Around 20 children have already been selected, and more are on the way.

Bihta resident Chandra Babu Kislay, 12, said: “I am very happy to be a part of the academy’s first batch of students.”

Kislay, whose role model is Dhoni, said: “Cricket is a game of fitness, strength and technique. From the academy we expect to get some of the best techniques.”

Australian cricket legend and former Team India coach, Greg Chappell and Cameron Tradell, another coach from Australia, have designed the curriculum for the academy of the Pathan brothers. Patna is the 10th centre of the academy, as it has opened doors in Delhi, Noida, Bangalore, Rajkot, Surat and other cities.

Yusuf, who has played 57 ODIs and is with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, said: “From time to time, Irfan and I will visit the academy to boost the talents of the budding cricketers. We will also assess the players’ performance through a special app. There will be weekly and monthly analysis of every player, along with feedback.”

The academy has tied up with UK-based cricket technology partner PitchVision to track students’ performance in real time via a cutting edge technology programme. The technology will help close the gap between the Pathan brothers, CAP coaches and its students.

Yusuf also said the academy has experienced coaches trained by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

At the launch on Wednesday, Yusuf spent time interacting with the players and their parents.

He advised the children on paths to follow to succeed in the game, and to focus on nutrition, psychology and physical development to become a good player.

Courtesy: The Telegraph