Passion for arts sends 16-yr-old wonderboy Dhanawade behind bars

Pranav Dhanawade, the 16-year-old wonderboy, who became the first batsman in the world to score 1000 runs in one innings, has once again made it to the headlines after being detained for a slight delay in vacating the ground he had been practicing on for years.

The incident took place on Saturday evening when Pranav and his teammates were practicing at the Subhash Maidan in Kalyan when some policemen came and asked them to vacate the ground as a makeshift helipad was made on the same. The ground had been handed over to the police for security reasons.The Public Welfare Department has constructed a helipad on the ground in view of Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar's visit to Kalyan.

The players stopped their net practice immediately and moved towards the boundary to cool-down and stretch.

Divulging the details of the incident, the Kalyan boy told ANI, "We were playing at Subhash Maidan when the policemen asked us to leave. A helipad was made as some politician was supposed to land there."

"We requested them to allow us few minutes to stretch and then we will leave, but they didn't listen and instead became abusive. They took me and my dad, who was also there at the ground, to the police station," he added.

Pranav also claimed that the senior police inspector at the station abused and ill-treated them.

Meanwhile, Vijay Bhise, the Police Inspector of the police station where Pranav was taken, rubbished claims that the 16-year-old was beaten.

"This is wrong that cops had beaten Pranav. The police went there for the security of the minister. They didn't know about Pranav that he is a national player," Bhise told ANI.

Pranav, a student of KC Gandhi Higher Secondary, had secured a monthly scholarship for five years from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) after becoming the first batsman in the world to notch-up a four-figure innings. The Maharashtra Government had also announced to look after the education and coaching expenses of the wonder boy.

The Mumbai teenager created history by smashing 127 boundaries and 59 sixes to reach an unbeaten knock of 1009 during his side's KC Gandhi School two-day match against Arya Gurukul School earlier in June this year.