PANAJI
With an eye on nurturing young cricketing talent between the ages of 9 to 14 years and prepping them to national and international standards, the Panjim Gymkhana has launched the Panjim Gymkhana Cricket Academy (PGCA) with a focus on the holistic development of young cricketers from across Goa, right from honing their cricketing skills to fitness and dietary standards.
The PGCA was launched recently at the hands of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the presence of former India pacer Ashish Nehra, members of the family of the first chief minister of Goa late Dayanand Bandodkar, and other senior officials of the Panjim Gymkhana.
“The PGCA will have state-of-the-art infrastructure, with expert coaching tailored to suit the players’ ages. The focus will be on overall skill development which includes fitness, thrust on dietary inputs, and evaluation-based training with the help of new technology, including bowling machines. Ex-India and former State Ranji players will also play a mentoring role at the academy,” president of the Panjim Gymkhana Manoj Caculo said.
Caculo also said that the academy will focus on personalised training of its young wards, through certified coaches who will put the talent through rigorous training routines. Former first-class cricketer Anil Arolkar has been appointed the coach for the cricket training academy which is open to children across the State.
Speaking on the occasion of the academy’s launch, Nehra said that the academy would help local youngsters to improve their talent and upgrade it to better international standards. “The Panjim Gymkhana Cricket Academy will serve as a nursery for budding cricketers and provide them with the much-needed infrastructure to become better players,” Nehra said.
Training sessions at the academy will be held from Monday to Friday between 3 pm to 5.30 pm. Registration details are available on 9175262484 or at Panjim Gymkhana.
