Says Mumbai Cricket Association treasurer Prof Ratnakar Shetty: “We have a rule according to which an outsider can only play for Mumbai after he is a regular on the city circuit for two years. If that criteria is followed, it all depends on the performance. Anybody who is good plays.”

The Rizvi Education Society Trust has provided the perfect support system in the city for most of these migrants. They get drafted into the team of Rizvi Springfield High School in Bandra that also ensures them a place to stay. REST’s trustee Javed Rizvi explains, “We have cricket camp in Rizvi school at Allahabad. Cricketers there have huge talent and we provide them opportunity to come to Mumbai. We give these kids all the help we can to help them get a break.”

The one-bedroom REST flat in Bandra, close to where India opener Wasim Jaffer grew up, houses 10 to 15 young cricketers at anytime of the year. They sleep on a thin mat and most of the cramped living area is occupied by huge cricket kits.

Murtuza, who now has moved to a company accommodation in Chembur, remembers his first address in Mumbai. “Do you think we could afford a place in Bandra. It was a big help and the cricket atmosphere also helped a lot,” he says.

Murtuza, who plays for the once-true-blue Marathi team Shivaji Park Youngsters, is living the dream of Bandra’s cricket pad. Mumbai under-22 player Ravishankar says, “Cricket changed his life. But we have seen his struggling days. Today he has a Ranji cap, a job with BPCL and gets paid enough to help his family back home.”

... contd.