Softball Cricket

The two main sports of interest now, are the usual football and cricket. Cricket is very popular in Goa, but it is the tennis ball variety. For some players, the transition to whites and pads and red balls is hard to make. Some fit in easily, but opt out to concentrate on academics or other career options. Another reason could be that the season-ball cricket culture in Goa (We have no Shivaji Park) is not as big as the some of the major cities in India, and very good players, lose out due to the lack of facilities and infrastructure. Incidentally, Goa is one of the top states in tennis-ball cricket in the country and has produced a fair number of internationals in this less glamorized version of cricket.

Getting international players and coaches will not help Goan cricket as much as having a proper and easily accessible cricket facilities, equipment and good pitches (not matted pitches) would.

There is so much potential for the cricket administrative brains in the state to develop enthusiasm for the game. A national level 20-20 tournament will go very well not only with the public, but also with sponsors, and with the sponsors and money around, you can expect the big names in Indian cricket to be in as well. Hong Kong has its own tournament called the Sixes, which is very popular. There is no reason why a similiar experiment would not work at the Panjim Gymkhana, arguably one of the most scenic grounds in the country.