Mohinder back from Morocco to stay by the Lala

Lala Amarnath, who enters his ninetieth year next month, is reported to be seriously ill, "afflicted by ailments associated with old age", according to Press Trust of India. The doyen of Indian cricket has been in a delicate condition ever since he suffered a fractured hip in a bathroom fall earlier this year. His son Mohinder confirmed that the Lala had been bedridden for a month and is presently on a liquid diet. Mohinder, now in the midst of a coaching assignment with the Moroccan cricket team, has returned home to be at his father's side.

The 50-year-old former India vice captain is basking in the Mediterranean climate, in a relaxed pursuit, distant from the media glare. The job of training novice cricketers is not without some elements of interest although it can hardly be said to provide the stiffest of challenges to a person of Mohinder's stature. Speaking to The Hindu in New Delhi on Thursday, Mohinder said, "It starts right from teaching them the basics but I don't mind. It ensures a strong foundation and without making any tall claims I would like to say that we are making progress in the right direction."

As a sport, cricket has only a modest group of devotees in this North African country which overwhelmingly plumps for soccer and athletics as its foremost physical diversions. Tireless quarter milers and middle distance runners (Nawal el Moutawakel & Said Aouita) as well as predatory forwards and midfielders (Aziz Bouderbaya and Timoumi Mohamed) abound in Moroccan sporting tradition but cricket is still a rank upstart in these parts. Perhaps that may turn out to be a good sign after all for as Mohinder explains, "The trainees I have are wonderful athletes and have the right physique to make a mark. They will take time to learn but I am confident they will make good fielders because they are so swift on their feet."

It was the energy and enterprise of Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, chairman of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series, that drew Mohinder to this unlikely mission. "We are using a football field for training and have been using matting wickets. The facilities will be upgraded with time and Mr. Bukhatir is taking care of things like providing the equipment which is top class", said Mohinder. He also noted that unlike other ICC Associate Members which cobble up a cricket team through imports from the subcontinent, enthusiasts for the game in Morocco are locals, not expats. Having spent more than two months on the job so far, which is open-ended and does not have any time frame attached to it, Mohinder is revelling in calm, tranquil surroundings, far removed from the stormy happenings in his native country.