More than 1,000 boys are honing their cricketing skills in the city this summer vacation. And for the 15 cricket training institutes a good five more than last year that have suddenly sprouted, World Cup euphoria has provided a welcome impetus to business.

``Every parent who comes to us wants their child to become Sachin Tendulkar in three months,'' says a smiling Shailendra Solanki of the Gujarat Sporting Club. The club has been running cricket classes along with body building, weight lifting and karate for the past 11 years. Registration is mostly in the seven to 21 age group. ``All of a sudden 50 per cent emphasis has shifted to cricket,'' says Solanki. The credit for this is being placed squarely on the stocky shoulders of wonderboy Tendulkar. ``The change came about mainly from 1996 when Sachin became a household name,'' says Solanki.

Agrees Lalit Solanki, who helps Father Father Charlie Dias, Director, Sports, run classes at Loyola Hall. ``The number of children coming to us has doubled this year. While earlier we had hardly about 200 children, this year the number of students has touched 400,'' he says. Star dust from the World Cup has indeed sprinkled wide.

Among the coaches, there is a fine mix of the greenhorns with the veterans. St Xavier's College has been running the Brother Lobo Coaching Classes since the late 60s while Gaurav Bhatt started the Sunrise Coaching Classes just five years back. While some of the coaches bear the stamp of being Ranji trophy players, others have played University and still others manage by organising matches in the city and outside.

``We have a fine reputation and a good coach -- JJ Shah who has played university,'' says John Fernandez, administrator for St Xavier's College. Bhatt, who has played University, draws on the pulling power and public memory of his better known grandfather Manubhai Bhatt, renowned Ranji Trophy player. ``Cricket is a natural game. It is God's gift. Classes can only hone the technique of a player,'' he says. Bhatt says he believes in organising four to six matches in a month with different camps in the city so that the players develop a match temperament and get over the fear of facing the ball.

The Gujarat Sporting Club prefers to start by teaching its students how to use the bat and hold the ball besides teaching them the finer points of fielding.

All this, naturally comes for a price. A price that parents are happy to shell out. While the normal fees range between Rs 100 to Rs 300 for a month of training, these are some much more exclusive outlets that rake in up to a staggering Rs 5,000 for taking children for a match in Delhi or Mumbai. ``This is a money-making racket by people who have never played cricket before. They take astonishing amounts of money for taking children to other cities for matches with local teams. The same can be done locally, but the aim is obviously to make money,'' says Bhatt.

Most cricket training institutes claim they run on a no-profit, no-loss basis. The reasons are purely altruistic, they say, and only the desire to see promising cricketers on the horizon of the State motivates them.