Doffing The Hat To Cricket Legends

Anand Subramaniam of BCCI.TV interviews the iconic groundsman of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association ground in Dharamshala... and finds he is the owner of a uniquie prized cowboy hat as well as much more than that.

Take a walk around the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala and you are bound to recognise a well known figure in these parts strolling pitch side. Dressed in his vintage military outfit, with a cowboy hat, a cool pair of sunglasses and a twirled moustache, you just cannot give Chief Curator Sunil Chauhan a miss. “I believe it is important to dress the way you feel and make a style statement of your own. It doesn’t help if you are too simple, Chauhan says with a smile on his face. “You have to dress according to your profession,” he quips as he speaks to BCCI.TV

Why the military outfit you ask him and his chest swells up with pride to talk about his military family background. He walks with authority on the pitch, feels the surface dearly like it’s his own and talks with utmost fondness about the nuances of pitch making.

“Right from the beginning I was very fond of cricket ground and pitches. I have done a lot of rolling for many matches with my very own hands. I believe till the time you don’t serve the ground and the pitch you will never bear its fruit.”

That he is a pitch aficionado and his obsession for the 22 yards is well documented, but what was intriguing was his cowboy hat. It is no ordinary hat; this hat has the autographs of some of the legends of the game – most of them Chauhan’s favorites.

“The hat was gifted to me by my daughter. We had gone on a vacation to Pushkar (pilgrim in Rajasthan) two to three years back which is where the hat caught my daughter’s eyes. She bought it for me since my work revolves around being out in the sun at most times. When I began to wear my hat to the venue over the years it just struck me that I should get it signed by some of my favorite players. I have close to 15-16 autographs of my favorite players and I want the hat to be full of autographs.”

Pointing out with his index finger, Chauhan takes us through the different autographs on his hat. “I have the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Adam Gilchrist on the top of the hat. If you keep going around it, you will find Michael Holding, one of the fastest bowlers during our days. Then there is our very own blaster, Virender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif, Richie Richardson etc. Quite recently I have added team India director Ravi Shastri and captain MS Dhoni to the list.”

One autograph that is dear to him is that of Sunil Gavaskar. Chauhan reasons why as he takes a little trip down memory lane. “I love the way he used to bat and it was with full of grit and determination. He is my cricketing hero since he batted without helmets under tough conditions. After Gavaskar I am fond of Sachin Tendulkar. I had the good fortune of meeting both of them in this very ground and I have their autographs on my hat. I have Gavaskar’s autograph right at the top since he is my favorite.