CHENNAI: At 38, Sachin Tendulkar needs to look no further than this 57-year-old player for inspiration to play cricket as long as he wants. A Gujarati and a father of two grown-up men, Kirit M Patel is a member of Park Town Recreation Club (PTRC) and plays in the fifth division of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) tournament, as there is no age limit in the division. He is currently playing in the Gujarati Premier League Cup – II as a member of Glorious Cricket Club.At this age, Kirit, a jewellery consultant, continues to shine with his performance and is one of the frontline bowlers for his team. In November, 2010, he bagged ‘man of the match’ trophy for taking 4 wickets for 29 runs with his leg spin bowling at the Blue Sky Cricket Academy tournament. “My age makes the younger batsmen overconfident. I give them a loose delivery in the beginning and later fox them with my guile and get them out,” says Kirit.An opening batsman when he started playing cricket, Kirit sacrificed his position to give younger players a chance at the top of the order, and instead concentrated on his leg spin bowling. Such has been his fitness that Kirit doesn’t get tired bowling long spells. His best figures came in 1999 at the age of 45, when he bowled 22 overs at a stretch and took seven wickets for 105 runs for PTRC in the bargain.In the last TNCA fifth division league match in February, he managed to bag two wickets, despite three catches and one stumping were missed on his bowling.“I never let these little things play into my mind. I play for fun,” says Kirit.Having a good time inspired Kirit to play cricket from his school days in 1960s till now. “I love cricket and want to continue playing it as long as I’m fit.I’ve played with three generations of cricket players.Some of my co-players who have retired are surprised to know that I’m still playing,” he laughs.Surprisingly, Kirit never desired to play for India and had no cricketing role models.“When I started playing for a club in early 1970s, there was no support for cricket and so no role models.I used to practice in the morning, worked as a salesman in a jewellery shop during the day, and again practiced in the evening.Matches were reserved for Sundays. The happiness I derived from playing kept me going all these years,” recalls Kirit.But despite his passion for cricket, he manages to give undivided attention to his family members. His eldest son, Manish K Patel, vouches for that. “Most of the matches were reserved for Sundays. After coming from the matches, he used to freshen up and then take us to the beaches or movies that he had promised,” recalls Manish.Kirit’s younger son, Rinkesh K Patel, however, has to bear teasing from his cricket playing friends.“My friends used to tease me about my father playing so well at this age, while we were nowhere close to his fitness and playing standards,” laughs Rinkesh, who along with his elder brother and father, has played couple of matches together.But despite having a cricket loving father, Manish and Rinkesh have charted a career and interests on other grounds.Kirit explains, “The passion and interest for cricket is self-driven. You can’t force someone to become a cricketer.You should always play cricket for fun.” Finally, Sachin has an Indian player, apart from Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya, 41 years, to refer to when the question of retirement rears its ugly head the next time.
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