In India, cricket is not a game, it’s a religion. The passion of almost all Indians towards this game is in a way a hereditary trait. Father to a son, and so on. Every household’s routine revolves around the match schedules and in a way creates a bond, not only in the family but between the cricketers, on the field and the family. Coming to think of it, today even sitting together and watching a match seem impossible – thanks to the digital world and gadgets on everyone’s palms.
The Vegda family in Rajkot too was no different. Virendra born 1st June 1981, literally brought cricket into their drawing-room. In a family with no cricketing background, Virendra’s passion became theirs too and they never stopped him. Support from parents and family is half the battle won. He used to play the game with his friends and the children in the surrounding areas. Amongst this group, Virendra was one of the best and known for his straight batting shots and big hits.
As they say, a star has to be spotted to hit the limelight. With the blessings of the family, Virendra joined the academy and begun his professional training. With the confidence of a good coach and training by his side, he was selected to play for Anil Pavilion and Gymkhana cricket club, Rajkot ( GCC Rajkot).
GCC Rajkot has been instrumental in inducting many crickets to the Saurashtra cricket team for both domestic and international games. With dedication and hard work, he got selected for the under 19 and under 23 teams and subsequently for the Ranji Trophy. A great accomplishment for a young boy indeed! His consistent good performance and love for the game saw him grow as a member of the team. He idolized great players like Sehwag and Dravid and used to play shots much like them and was being recognized as a good hitter of the ball. He was a genuine all-rounder with the quick ability to bat long and accurate spells. He spin was good and a danger for any batsman. He was perfect in the middle order. A match-winner, batsman, and a team player. Off the field too, he is a great human and a good motivating colleague and friend who was always a pleasure to have around.
However, ups and downs crop up in every profession. He too had his low patch and his performance dimmed a bit. Funds to keep this passion going support family and living need an income to sustain. His concern on the financial front was justifiable. He had reached the crossroad; where he had to choose between cricket as a career or switch on to settle down into a career with a stable income. A tough decision, but it had to be made for the wellbeing of himself and his family.
The fate they say has a plan already in place. It will just show the way when the time is right. The year was 2007, India had a match in Rajkot. Virendra was excited, not because he was on the team but because he had a VIP pass and would be able to watch the match from a good enclosure. However, on the day of the match, some players were unfit to play and BCCI did not have enough time to call in players from outside. They decided to substitute unfit players with Ranji trophy players. Out of the blue, he got a call from Mr.Niranjan Shah – Secretary of BCCI and Mr. Mahendra Rajdev – National selector, Ex. Player and coach, Ranji Trophy. Mr. Shah and Mr. Rajdev asked him to join and fill in for those players who could not play. A wonderful opportunity for him on his lap. He replaced Saurav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and S.Sreesanth in this match and played for few more, years after that. In this phase, he did very well and got better with every match. Around this time he was contacted by the Minister of the Cricket Club of United Kingdom. He left for England after signing a contract for 13 years. He played many matches and made an impact on the scoreboard. After a couple of more years in London, he decided to call it a day in the year 2016.
His stint with MCC ( 13yrs) he made a mark with his impressive statistics. He played domestic cricket with MCC. He then was able to spend 5 months in London and came back for 7 months to play for the Rajkot district team and state team.
Experience is the best teacher and Virendra had lots of experience under his belt. In 2017 he started his cricket coaching academy at Rajkot. He now gives wings to all the children who want to make it in cricket. Coaching and hard work always give positive results. He is also associated with the MCC as coach mentor in fielding besides a mentor for a premier league team in Saurashtra. He is also a coach of under 16 for the Saurashtra cricket association. He did level 2 coaching from Australia so boys get an experience of Australian cricket in India.
Best wishes to the very Virendra we have in our country. Focus, dedication and hard work in any field will give you an opportunity to prove yourself. Success is not making loads of money; success is when you can make a difference to others in society with your experience, knowledge, and power to share.
