All in the game

In what was termed a major upset, underdogs Jamshedpur and Nagpur googlied the other teams in the tournament with solid all round performance to emerge winner and runner-up respectively at the 22nd Jiji Irani Challenge Cup Cricket Tournament at Nagpur from October 25-29, 2008.

"It was a fantastic display of teamwork wherein, despite the fact that Jamshedpur did not win a single individual series prize, they still ended up winning the tournament,” writes Navzar Dotivala of Jamshedpur. The willow game is played annually between the Parsis of Calcutta, Surat, Hyderabad/Secun-derabad, Nagpur and Jamshedpur on a round robin basis, with each center hosting the Tournament by rotation. "It was started in memory of the late Jiji Irani, the father of cricket in Vidarbha district (in Maharashtra), by his daughter Diana Hormuzjee and his son Dr Jamshed J. Irani, director, Tata Sons,” Dotivala recounts.

Traditionally, Surat, Calcutta and Secunderabad have been the better, stronger teams, with Nagpur and Jamshedpur usually fighting it out for the remaining spots. It has taken 22 tournaments for Jamshedpur and Nagpur to stump Surat! he quips.

Putting his best foot forward as Man of the Series was Kushal Jilla of Secunderabad (who plays for Hyderabad on a regular basis). Nagpur’s Jamasp Bapuna was the Best Bowler, Jamsheed Hormazji of Secunderabad the Best Batsman. Zarvin Rana and Yohan Doongaji, both of Nagpur, were adjudged the Best Wicketkeeper and Most Upcoming Youngster respectively.

Jamshedpur has a corpus and each year the host city is given a fixed amount to help them organize the event, says Dotivala who also officiates as manager of the Jamshedpur team. "The organizers are Noomi Mehta of Calcutta, Yezdi Engineer of Surat, Minoo Siganporia of Secunderabad, Shiraz Gimi of Nagpur and myself from Jamshedpur. Gimi and I have been involved almost from inception,” he adds.

Victorious Jamshedpur team with captain Zubin Palia and organizer Navzar Dotivala (fourth & fifth from left, standing)

The age of the players varies according to the circumstances and availability. This year the youngest participant in the winning team was 18-year-old Jehaan Patel, with 14-year-old Sohrab Coyaji among the extras. Anoop Coyaji, at 45, was the oldest. "We also have 66-year-old Cawas Saiwalla who used to play regularly for us and was always the oldest player of the tournament. Even now he and 72-year-old Pesi Wadia are regular at every net practice,” describes Dotivala.

Adding to the net gain were the youngsters between the ages of nine to 13 who pitched in at practice time — Danish and Kaizad Gardin, Zarvan and Vir Patel, Darayus Asavaid, Zahaan Pithawalla, Sidharth Bahadur and Poromit Das. "It isn’t possible for our team to play together regularly because youngsters normally move out of Jamshedpur after their schooling. They try their best to come for the Tournament. We are so few over here that we can’t participate in the local league any more,” Dotivala outlines the force of circumstance. "There was a time when we regularly played in the ‘A’ Division. That was when Jamshed Irani, Yezad Kapadia (vice president, Delhi Parsi Anjuman), Eruch Surti (brother of Test cricketer Rusi Surti), late Rumi Master (ex town architect), and the late Piloo Tata and Homi Bodhanwalla (both senior executives in what was then called the Tata Iron and Steel Company) and several others were much younger and around. Unfortunately in Jamshedpur there are more Parsis resting in peace in our aramgah than outside.”

The Parsi population in the steel city is estimated to be around 200. Captain Zubin Palia works for Tata Steel, vice captain Homiyar Dumasia for Telcon. Wadia retired from Tata Steel while Saiwalla took VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) from Tata Motors. Anoop Coyaji opted for Tata Steel’s unique "early separation scheme,” and is into investment brokering, Dotivala says. The rest work in different companies, run their businesses or are at school or college. Dotivala has been with Tata Steel for 31 years; his son Yim started his own business in Jamshedpur.

Other than cricket, the Parsis play tennis, badminton, table tennis, squash, billiards, snooker, golf, bowling and carom. Yim Dotivala is a single digit handicap golfer. "Although he is an amateur, he was one of the few select amateur golfers from Jamshedpur who was invited to play an international professional golf tournament (Tata Open) held in the steel city recently,” Navzar narrates.

With Nagpur and Calcutta Parsis numbering about 600, Dotivala believes it "wouldn’t be out of place to mention that even Calcutta and Nagpur have their youngsters moving out, but coming together for the Tournament. Both these teams play in their respective local leagues with the help of non-Parsi players. Surat play locally as a team. Se-cunderabad have their boys playing for different teams, but come together for the Tournament,” Dotivala traces the problems of declining numbers.

Jamshed and Daisy Irani and family were present at Nagpur to encourage the players and take part in the festivities.