As I drive from my home to workplace, I pass a beautiful cricket ground, which is evenly covered with grass, except for the pitch, which is barren. Miraclously, the grass stays green through the year. Sometimes, I see two or three groundsmen working on the ground by cutting the grass and running the rollers over the pitch. The ground lies to my right as I drive from home and as a result lies on my left as I drive back home. However, I find it difficult to observe the ground on my return as it lies beyond a curve and as it is to my left, it is on the far side of the driver's seat. The field is called VB Nest. The VB in the name stands for V B Chandrasekhar who was a cricketer during the 80's and 90's. He played primarily for Tamilnadu and Goa in Ranji trophy matches. He had also represented India in a few one day international matches. Post retirement, he sponsored a team in the Tamilnadu Premier League, which resulted in him spending more money than he should have and it is believed that this forced him to end his life.
On a few days, I have seen a match being played on the ground with men dressed in whites focussing on a red ball by chasing, throwing and smashing it whenever it is in their proximity. At times, I have seen a person or two watching the match in progress from outside the fence. But yesterday, a large crowd of men was standing outside the fence and watching the match being played on the field. There were many in the crowd who had parked their vehicles by the side of the road to observe the happenings on the ground. I was surprised by the unusual presence of the crowd and was eager to determine its cause. When the cricket ground came to view I realized that the crowd was watching a group of young women playing a cricket match. I felt happy to see the encouragement this group of men was providing to women's cricket.
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