PANAJI
Sport has a tendency to elicit a range of emotions because of the high stakes and intensity of the game involved.
In addition to the grind that passionate pursuit of a sport like cricket can put one through, there is some special sentiment which brews too, when siblings take to the crease or walk into the ground with the rest of the team. Take the Irfan and Yusuf Pathan sibling pair, who electrified the Indian cricketing arena, with their exploits as all-rounders. Before ending up in one team, they shared one roof, one coach, one set of parents and even cricket gear, before they moved on to sharing the Team India dressing room.
The ongoing PGML 2.0, which is being held at the Panjim Gymkhana ground in Panaji has also thrown up interesting sibling pairs, who have padded up for their respective teams.
Shailesh Miskin, from Manas Mavericks, says he shares a fond relationship with his brother Paresh Miskin who plays for RC Goa. “My game has definitely improved as a result of practice with my older brothers. I'd rather say I was fortunate to be the youngest of the three, because I could practically see how they played and what approach they took and then use it to improve my skills,” he says.
The rivalry between the siblings is non-existent, he says, while adding that the spirit to excel drove the brothers through the years. “There was no such thing as a rivalry, but I want to do better for myself and my team. We are brothers first and foremost, and we have a strong bond. For us, it's family first and then sports. Cricket has come to us as a sport later as part of growing up. We play for the love of the game, so whether we are on the same or opposing team makes no difference,” he said.
Similarly, Mukthar Kadri, from Priority Titans, says the game doesn't define his relationship with his brother Muzaffar Kadri, but it’s an avenue for them to play the sport they love.
“Our bond is strong and that helps to avoid competition or any bad blood in the game. We understand that the sport brings out the competitive nature, but it’s confined to the game. Through our relationship, we understand our game very well, and we know where we need to work on our game,” he states.
Manish Pai Kakode from Manas Mavericks also has a brother Anish Pai Kakode playing for the same team in PGML 2.0. He says that the sibling rivalry pushes them to perform better.
“We haven't played against each other in a tournament yet. But I think it will be a good contest if we ever get to go against each other. Since we both know each other's strengths and weaknesses, it can go either way for our teams. We both have been playing together for a long time, so we do have a similar approach towards the game,” he says.
“We understand each other's thought process in a given situation on the field, hence we are able to help each other to get through it. It will definitely push us to perform better. It will be more of a mind game since we know each other's thought processes,” he adds.
Their father was a professional cricketer and that helped them to pick up the threads of the game when they were young. “Our family is all about cricket. Our parents were professional cricketers. You just can't keep cricket out of our home. So I think it definitely benefits our team since we know how to get the best out of each other. But off the field, we bond well,” Manish says.
