LONDON: Indian batsman Rohit Sharma has been named as one of the 30 cricketing experts alongside West Indian legends Michael Holding and Courtney Walsh for a new smartphone-based mentoring app called Proatar, Press Trust of India reports.
Co-founded by Indian entrepreneur Srikanth Tanguturi and Sri Lanka’s Christy Kulasingam, it was launched at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground in the city last week.
The app claims to be a revolutionary sports coaching-cum-mentoring platform that aims in assisting passionate amateurs to learn more about the game through inspiring and exclusive insights from their cricketing heroes. The likes of Sharma, Holding and Walsh will reportedly see the videos sent in by amateur cricketers in order to assess their techniques and respond on the app with an analytical feedback on the same. It will feature a combination of voiceover commentary, annotations and picture-by-picture analysis.
“I am really excited about sharing some of my cricketing knowledge and journey to inspire young kids on their journey,” Sharma stated.
Proatar is a new free-to-download app that will initially be available only through an invitation-only referral code to control numbers. It’s global launch is expected to be on September 15, when it will be made available on Android and iOS via Google Play store and the Apple App Store as well.
“We are delighted to take the covers off our platform at Lord’s. The very simple format allows amateurs anywhere in world to have direct access to their heroes. The aim is for this to work complementary to a coach and we look forward to talents being discovered through Proatar over time,” Tanguturi said to reporters during the app’s unveiling event at Lord’s.
“Advice can sometimes come in one ear and out of the other, but when you draw on the amateur’s video and show the player whether they have their leg straight when they shouldn’t, that advice is likely to stick,” Holding said.
“Having taken a lot from the game, it is time to give something back to cricket,” added Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene who is also on the experts’ list.
The app-based mentoring session will cost $150 for a video consultation on an average. Depending on the level of interaction and analysis, prices can differ from anywhere between $100 and $400 per transaction. Each consultation is done within 14 days. Amateurs also have the option of sending non-technical queries regarding nutrition, strength and mental conditioning and leadership tips for example.
“This sounds like a big number, and it is a premium product, but when we consider how much it would cost to have a single one-on-one session with an elite, assuming first you have access to them, and the value they can add, we believe this is a good investment in an amateur’s game,” Kulasingam told PTI.
The USP of this app seems to lie in its charitable side as individuals and companies have the opportunity to sponsor young talent from the rural areas of the country by purchasing sessions for them through it.
“The app philosophy takes the inspiration aspect seriously, adding gifting options for those who want to give a great moment and memory to passionate cricketers around them, and for corporations to provide consultations to deserving or under-privileged amateurs via gift certificate donations,” said Tanguturi.
The co-founders claim that the app will venture into other sports such as tennis and golf once cricket establishes a solid base in it.
