Captain`s diary: Unmukt`s scribbles may turn into a book

For more than three hours today, economics teacher Bharat Chand Thakur didn`t move an inch from his designated seat, his eyes glued to the television set as his son Unmukt battled it out against Australia in the World Cup final.

New Delhi: For more than three hours on Sunday, economics teacher Bharat Chand Thakur didn`t move an inch from his designated seat, his eyes glued to the television set as his son Unmukt battled it out against Australia in the World Cup final.

"If my son can bat for three hours, I can do this much to support him," a proud father of the India U-19 captain declared as he distributed sweets for waiting journalists. An economics teacher with Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, senior Chand would tell you that how his son was a bit different from the boys of his age even when he was just in school. "We never told him but he developed a habit of maintaining a diary from the age of nine from 2002. He would write about his game, his mistakes and has maintained that habit even now that he has started playing first-class cricket. He plans to write on his cricketing journey till U-19 World Cup," Chand said, showing the diary to the scribes. It`s not often that one gets a chance to peek into a cricketer`s personal world but courtesy Unmukt`s father, the journalists did get a chance. In one of the pages, little Unmukt had jotted down his experiences of facing Brett Lee during a promotional event in Modern School (Barakhamba Road), where he studied from 8th to 12th standard. The item was titled "My Clash with Brett Lee" where he had written how he was one of the five students chosen to face Lee. He also wrote how Lee smoothly increased his pace and about his classmate Dhruv Chandra being the best batsman on the day. There was another page where he has written how he shouldn`t have got run-out during an U-16 match. Penning down their thoughts don`t come easily to Indian sportspersons of current age but flipping through the `Captain`s Diary`, one would be compelled to say that Unmukt certainly is a chip off the old block. PTI