A Cricket Thinker Recalls his School Life
Features
The principal (left) of Bishop Cotton Boys School receiving a box of Dukes cricket balls from Mr. Dilip Jajodia Courtesy: Bishop Cotton Boys School
By Aryan Katiyar
Bengaluru: If you are a mere cricket fan, you would watch the game as it is. If you are a regular cricket fan, you would know the details of the game, such as the different formats and the colours of the balls used, etc. If you are a true cricket fan, you would know about the specifications needed and your most liked format of the game would be Test Cricket. The different conditions, challenges, grit, and determination required in this format make it highly competitive. If you are still guessing, what is it about? It is about the different kinds of balls used for playing Test cricket in various nations.
The different kinds of balls used make a lot of difference while playing a test match. One of the masterminds behind the largest manufacturers and distributors of the Dukes cricket balls, Mr. Dilip Jajodia, Managing Director, British Cricket Balls Ltd, was here at Bishop Cotton Boys School for a guest lecture, organized by the K.S. Thimayya Memorial Trust (KST). He explained through a video demonstration the actual process behind the manufacturing of one Dukes ball. The materials sourced and converted into a ball; stamping; milling; and lamping are stages that take a ball to be match ready. The most important feature of these balls is that they are hand-stitched and last longer compared to machine-stitched ones. Also, the quality of the materials is the key to the perfection of the balls. The balls used for a test match are picked by Mr. Jajodia himself so that the best balls are in the hands of the bowlers.
Mr. Jajodia, who is a Cottonion, passed out of school in 1961 and he had very fond memories related to the school. He jubilantly spoke his heart out about the school. About his time as head of the entertainment club and as a cricketer, he talked about the hostel life he had enjoyed the most during his stay at the school. As a head of the Scouts as well, he carried the Scouts uniform and the cap of his days that the school had provided, evoking a sense of nostalgia among the audience. He concluded his session with questions from the audience regarding the cricket balls used in India, their rival brand Kookaburra, and importantly as to when the Dukes brand is coming to India.
This was the 20th edition of the KST Lecture and was said to be one of the most interesting ones. Dilip Jajodia had come down from London to experience once again the life he once lived at his memorable school.
