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When the clock strikes four, five-year-old twins Garv and Garima begin their training session at the Stepping Stones Cricket Academy in Sector 37 under the watchful eye of coach Narinder Kwatra, a seasoned cricketer. They are the first brother-sister duo to enrol in a cricket academy in Chandigarh, and hence, have attracted a lot of attention. Not everyday does one get to see children train along with others much older to them.
The children have been training at the academy for the last one year after their uncle, Neeraj Walia, spotted them and brought them here. Both of them are keen observers of the game and very closely follow several international cricketers and their styles of play. "Both were very much into the game since they turned three. They used to play in the backyard and imitate famous cricketers. But when they started breaking window panes in the house, we thought of bringing them to a specialised academy where they could develop their interest in the game and learn from professionals," said Walia.
Garima, the older of the two by 18 minutes, is a right-handed batswoman and plays with the straight bat; Garv is left-handed and likes to swirl his bat more towards the on-side.
"I really like Mahendra Singh Dhoni; I want to be like him when I grow up. He was so good during the Asia Cup. He is my hero," says Garv.
As for Garima, she saw the Indian women's team play against England a few months ago on TV and is very much inspired by that. She likes men's cricket, too, but her uncle makes it a point to show her video clips of the Indian women's cricket team on the Internet. "I want to play for Indian women's team when I grow up," Garima said. Both are students at St Xavier's School in Sector 44 .
"It has been eight months since they started to train under me and I must compliment their enthusiasm and endurance. They are always very keen on learning new things, and that is important for aspiring cricketers," said Kwatra.
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