Another big thing emerges from a garage: A cricketer

Lochan Appanna had jaws dropping as he slammed 222 and 197 to take Cottonians to the Dell-BTR tournament finals. He says he owes it all to his dad and the ‘garage pitch’ where he picked up the finer points of cricket Like some tech giants, Lochan Appanna could soon have a garage-to-greatness story to share. The 14-year-old made heads turn by scoring a double century in an ongoing inter-school cricket tournament in the city. And to think that his splendid knock and fiery spell didn’t come from a stint at professional cricket academies, but out of rigorous practice at the garage of his house in Banashankari.

 

Along with his teammates, Lochan, a student of Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, helped Cottonians bundle out the others in the under-14 (Division 1) match conducted by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) last week. He slammed 222 in the quarter finals and another 197 in the semifinals to reach the finals of the Dell-BTR tournament to be played on Friday.

 

A tough feat for someone his age, it is unfortunate that none of the cricketing authorities maintain records of top-notch performances by budding cricketers in the city.

 

 

Family of hockey players

Born to a family of hockey players, it was unusual for Lochan to incline towards cricket. “Like any other Kodava family, we wanted him to take up the hockey stick. At the age of four, we gave him a stick and ball only to see him play shots like cricket and realised that his passion lay in cricket rather than hockey,” Lochan’s father and mentor, Appanna Ganapathy, told Bangalore Mirror. 

 

“Later, we decided to put him in the Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy. But soon we realised that it was more of players and less of opportunities and took him out of the Academy. However, determined to give him better coaching, I converted the garage in our 40X60 house in Banashankari and laid out a cement pitch extending till the main gate,” explained Appanna, a researcher with IBM.

 

Five-year-old Lochan thus began to face his dad who used to bowl to him from the street. “I used to bowl a leather ball from the street and Lochan used to play them while standing inside the garage. To begin with, I bowled at a slow pace and gradually picked up pace only to acquaint him with various kinds of delivery. Initially, he focussed on playing only ground shots and picked up good strokes with a powerful punch. He always liked the ball to come up to him and judged them very well.” Starting from as early as 5:30 am, Lochan and his dad would get into a rigorous practice session.

 

Up at the crack of dawn

Even today, Lochan’s day begins at 4:30 am. “My father drops me to the nearest bus stop at 5:15 am from where I catch a bus to the school every day. Starting from 6:00 am, we practise till 9:00 am and attend school after that. By the time I return home, it is 5:00 pm and I feel very tired,” says Lochan.
 

Asked how he feels about his performance compared to others who trained in professional academies, Lochan maintains, “I feel great and proud of the way I practise with my dad. It is at my garage pitch that I picked up the finest lessons in cricket and where I corrected several of my mistakes. I do not think others would get this kind of opportunity and I am placed better than all of them.”

 

The real test for the budding cricketer began when he joined St Joseph’s Boys’ High School. “When he was a 12-year-old, he played the first divisional match and scored 48 runs against Vivekananda School. Later, he slammed 128 against Presidency School in the 50-over match. However, despite his knock, the team failed to qualify for the quarter finals. That is when the Cottonian coach set his eyes on Lochan and got him enrolled into Bishop Cotton’s. The systematic coaching and practice at Cotton’s further brought out the cricketer in him. Lochan scored a century in the 20-over Cottonian Shield tournament during June 2012,” recalled Appanna.

 

But the best of his cricketing talent was put to test in the ongoing under-14 (division 1) matches where Lochan scored 223 (265) and 197 (170) against Delhi Public School (North) and Frank Anthony Public School. 

 

Lochan excelled not just with the willow, but also with his bowling attack. “He is the fastest bowler in his school and took 4 for 15 against the Holy Saints English School in the under-14 match. The Canadian prime minister who recently visited the city also congratulated Lochan for his cricketing talent during a sports demonstration to the visiting delegation.

 

Catering to the needs of their elder son was challenging. “Being an employee of a major corporate firm, I need to be punctual and my wife Bavitha is a banker and hardly gets time with the kids. His only companion is his sister Sagarika who spends time with him in the evenings. However, on several occasions, I had to opt to work from home to suit his match and practice schedules,” says Appanna. 

 

Lochan, a diehard fan of Brett Lee’s and McGrath’s bowling, is keen to get into the state under-19 and Ranji teams. As for batting, he just can’t stop admiring Rahul Dravid for his technicality and perseverance. However, his all-time batting icon remains England’s Kevin Pietersen.

Courtesy:-bangaloremirror.com