This is one Beijing Olympic after-effect that the city could well have done without, for the sake of sports. While an interest in Olympic sports seem to have finally taken roots, it has knocked off a 38-year-old piece of history from the cricket grassroots Salwan Boys School, Rajinder Nagar, in the bargain.

The school, which has produced first-class cricketers by the dozen over the years, has as good as pulled the shutters down on its cricket team. Reason: the present school management wants to concentrate on disciplines such as athletics, wrestling and others. 

While the school authorities claim cricket has not been cut off its calendar, the team’s main players were forced to seek greener pastures — other schools, that is — after school principal Raj Dabas, a physical education teacher who rose through the ranks, retired this May. Dabas’s contribution to sports, particularly cricket, saw him occupy the post for the last eight years.

Soon, the school’s cricket trainer Sanjay Bharadwaj, who has coached India opener Gautam Gambhir and leg-spinner Amit Mishra among others, was handed the pink slip. Subsequently, the entire school team was disbanded.

“Two days after Dabas-sir retired, new school principal Naresh Kumar called me up and said my services were not needed as they were winding up cricket,” Bharadwaj said.

Interestingly, when the new edition of Boost all-India schools tournament was announced this Saturday, Dabas was a special invitee at the function. Under him and Bharadwaj, Salwan had won seven straight titles in the tournament but the defending champions will make only a token representation in the tournament this year.

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