Imagine working as a Ball Kid during an IPL match and having fielding legend Jonty Rhodes applaud you for a fantastic catch. Sounds like a dream doesn’t it?

Well, that was exactly the dream our Ball Kid Atharw K Gupta lived out on Sunday, on the sidelines of our match against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

The young talent showcased fantastic skills to latch onto a catch after Marcus Stoinis heaved KKR’s Vaibhav Arora over the boundary.

Stoinis’ perfect upper cut cleared the boundary comfortably, but Atharw, who was stationed in the region, reacted quickly to judge the ball's trajectory, got under it perfectly and safely latched onto it before returning it to the field.

The moment of brilliance drew a huge cheer from the fans at the Ekana as well as on-air commentators. The cherry on the cake, however, was when the camera panned to our fielding coach Jonty Rhodes in the dugout.

The South African legend, who knows a thing or two about taking brilliant catches, applauded Atharw, sending the youngster over the moon.

Aren’t moments like these what cricket is all about?

However, Atharw’s dream didn’t end there. After the match was over, Jonty caught up with the young gun personally for a short interaction and shared some fielding tips while at it.

“Jonty Rhodes is the role model of fielding. He is one of the few players to have won a Man of the Match award just for his fielding and I admire him a lot. I have met him before at a camp and have learnt a lot from him,” the awestruck youngster said after the interaction.

Jonty, too, remembered Atharw from the Coaching Masterclass camp organised by LSG at the Colvin Taluqdar's School in Lucknow last year. The South African icon coached Atharw for a session there before the youngster was selected as a Ball Kid through the Friends of LSG program.

Jonty, the perfectionist that he is, also decided to revise some of the lessons from the session during the interaction.

“Good hands are one thing but remember your feet movement is equally important. You got under the ball well and had your body in a good position to catch the ball today. Glad you remembered. Well done,” Rhodes said.

“That catch was remarkable. Stay focused on the ball, and you'll excel,” he added.

The heartwarming interaction between the legend and the youngster struck a chord with fans on social media.

“This is why we love cricket,” noted one user while another lauded Jonty for the gesture. “Awesome of Jonty to go and meet that kid. “The young boy is never going to forget this. And we all appreciate you Jonty for making that boy’s day,” he wrote.

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