'Netz' of a different kind

Chennai: Chennai's love for cricket is evident all around -from the children playing gully cricket to the playgrounds filling up with players of all ages, having a go at the bails or tossing up that doosra.

So, the idea behind starting an indoor cricket nets facility was simple, says Mohammed Yusuf, who started Netz Cricket. Looking for grounds near their homes comes as instinct to sports lovers, and finding a comfortable space to play has pushed city folk outside the city to play the sport of their choice.

“You would have noticed how difficult it has become to play cricket or football in the city. On a Sunday or any other holiday, there are hoards of people who head to a ground and at times there are multiple games happening at once, which is not only confusing but also dangerous. When we managed to find this usable space within city limits, we felt a state-of-the art indoor cricket facility would be great for these sports lovers," he points out.

Netz Cricket, located at Citi Centre Mall, has in a short period of time, become a popular place among corporate organisations and young sportspersons, who go there for the bestin-its-class bowling machines for batting and futsal (five-onfive football) courts.

“Corporate companies have realised that team-building activities are much more effec tive when they play sports like football or cricket together as a team rather than picnics or trips. We also have several Japanese and Korean expats who make it a point to come here once a week to play fiveon-five futsal matches,“ adds Mohammed.

With over six pitches for cricket alone, all built on aero turf surface, Mohammed says that regulars are now able to differentiate between these pitches with people switching from one to another to play pace, spin and bounce just like pitches in different countries.

The facility is also well known for its unique Cricket Bat Clinic. “Here, we season new bats for our patrons. Our technology allows us to either season bats with several thousand-mallet knocks or even knocks with the cricket ball itself. We also have a cricket doctor who conducts surgeries of bats to bring it back to playing condition,“ he explains.

In another first for the city , the facility is adding a simulator, which allows the batsmen to read bowling action depending on the bowler and their action.

“Most bowling machines have a person showing the ball and then feeding it into the machine. In these simulators, which we are introducing in a month's time, a batsman will be in an enclosure where the screen in front of him will show a video of a bowler running up for the delivery . The batsman can then judge the pace or spin of the ball by wrist action and run up.“ says Mohammed, in parting.