A good cricket match is made possible not only by the 11 players on each side but by the number of other individuals, who pour their heart and soul in making it possible.
These individuals are Umpires, Scorers, Match Referee, Commentators, Ball boys and last but not the least, Groundsmen. Out of these individuals, efforts of Scorers, Ball boys and Groundsmen mostly remain unrecognised.
Today, we want to recognise and remember one such individual, who breathed his last on 17th August 2017.
Raju Jadhav (45 yrs) worked as a groundsman for more than 20 yrs in Solapur Gulbarga. He was survived by his wife and 3 sons. He worked at Park Stadium from 2015 and before that at KBN Ground, Gulbarga and Solapur as a pitch maker. He was getting ready to leave for work when he suffered a heart attack.
Raju was expert in cutting grass, making pitches & marking system. He was the sole person responsible for rolling, sweeping, mowing, marking and laying the boundary rope. His marking system was so accurate that Umpires seldom checked his markings. Because of his dedication towards work, he was admired by all officials and players. He was always the first person to be on the ground in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening.
“Hey Raju! drinks in next over” was a popular call for him during matches and he was always ready to bring them.
Raju was famous in Solapur district for making cricket pitches for all kinds of tournaments. Most of the matches in recently concluded MCA U16 Invitation Tournament by Maharashtra State Association at Park Stadium, completed without any issues related to ground. Even during rains, many records were registered on the same ground. Cadence scored 627 runs in 90 overs; Harshal Kate scored 373 runs; Vikas Maske took 36 wickets in 4 matches, etc. Raju never got credit for any of these achievements.
This is our bit in paying respect to Raju Jadhav and thousands of such dedicated individuals, who make cricket possible for all of us. May his soul rest in peace and God gives strength to his family.