My cricketing days- as a visitor to Sambalpur

I was asked by an honourable member of the press to write an article for a souvenir about cricketing in Sambalpur.I wrote one by reminiscing about my cricket playing days as a visiting team member to Sambalpur but don't know if it was ever published as I am yet to receive a copy of the Souvenir.This led me to publish it in my bolg where I expect at least my blog's administrator Sadasiv Swain to read it.

Down the memory lane...........


The year was 1971-72 and it was our first match in Kalahandi Cup tournament.Those days all other teams were afraid of teams from Rourkela and Sambalpur .The later was always considered a dark horse as the team used to bring in a lot of surprises by vilifying the predictions of the then pundits in Orissa cricket.My experience of playing against Sambalpur dated back to 1963 when the team had very talented players. Most of them were Patels and they were all very tall and well built.(Later when I joined SAIL's hospital in Rourkela- Ispat General Hospital, I came to know that these Patels mostly belonged to Sundargarh district, though some of them are also settled in Sambalpur-Jharsuguda belt)Even a couple of these players used to bat without gloves. Kishor patel, who later joined politics and became a minister and even Speaker of Orissa Assmbly, was one of them.With this background knowledge when we were to play Sambalpur at their den in our initial Kalhandi Cup match, I was very apprehensive even though most of our team members were approaching the match very casually.
Mr.Ghosh was the main organiser of Kalahandi Cup matches at Samabalpur and he was a very sportive personality who very much used to encourage his players and others too.He was main driving force in later years for bringing about the current satdium and other sports arena in Samabalpur.
We were put up in Brooks’s hill. When we were told that we will stay in Brooks’s hill we thought it must be some sort of a British type hotel but it turned aout to be in an old dilapidated house. However, those were the days of traveling in unreserved compartments and sleeping on the floor and no one ever complained about it. Our Rourkela team had many engineers, doctors, and high officials from the State Govt and the Steel Plant as playing members and no one said a word about the stay.
The next day we won the toss and elected to bat. Within one hour, half of our side was back to the pavilion. My younger brother Sumanyu , left arm spinner Kanak patel and Arun patel were playing for Sambalpur team. Kanak and Arun patel were very talented cricketers and later played for the State and Zone teams.I don't remember whether Somnath Sahu played that match. My younger brother who played for Samabalpur team made an early breakthrough and by the time I joined Panderkar we were six down for 80 odd runs. And when I was going to join our opening batsman Panderkar some one commented “Rourkela team pack up and book your return ticket.”. I was nervous no doubt, but that made me resolve to survive somehow and give a stand to the opener and build a respectable score. Those days Kalahandi cup matches were of two days duration and finals was played for three days. Rourkela team ultimately scored three hundred plus with Panderkar scoring an unbeaten 150 and me contributing sixty odd runs. Ultimately we won by an innings. At that time the stadium was just coming up. I can never forget Sambalpur ground because I completed my hundredth Kalahandi cup wickets at that very ground.

Subsequently in later years I played two Ranji Trophy matches but accommodation was always a problem. The out field was bumpy and pitch was devoid of any grass quite like most of our Indian pitches. Due to some sort of narrow vision on the part of Orissa Cricket association that Orissa is confined to Bhubanswar and Cuttak and lack of interest of the local people, after Mr Ghose ,cricket is almost a dead game at Sambalpur.

The stadium and the outfield need constant care with watering , pesticide and fertilizers but finance is the key factor in real maintaince of Cricket grounds. Finance comes from holding first class matches and good sponsors. In the current scenarion in Indian Cricket, money is no problem provided you show good results in First Class Cricket. What we need to do is to search real talents from Sambalpur and adjoining areas, provide them with reasonably good infrastructure and build a team that can attarct good matches. However, we, Oriyas are basically lazy people and never take anything seriously. Otherwise, how come farmers and cultivators from Bangladeash and Andhra Pradesh are doing wonders with our cultivable land?
Its high time, our parents must encourage their children to participate actively in all types of games and sports including Cricket. We can’t produce athletes and players from drawing rooms.
I have not visited Sambalpur stadium for long time but I am sure it must be incomplete and the out-field as bumpy as it was in my playing days.
I am sure with the current craze for cricket with the new generation, things are going to take a new shape and we can and will be able to host first class matches shortly at Sambalpur stadium.

Dr.Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy
Joint director SAIL.
Exranji and east Zone player.