This is considered a “religion” of its own by many of the fans.
“It was something I could watch with my dad since he came from India. I mean, growing up, I played everything – baseball, basketball, soccer, football, tennis. You know it. But cricket was something that I could connect with my dad on a higher level,” said Ankur Singh, a member of the Capital District Cricket Association.
The sport of cricket might still be fairly new to the United States, but the game goes back to the 13th century and holds a lot of significance for South Asians.
Ankur says that some of the people playing here today have been cricket enthusiasts their entire life. They share that having the opportunity to play the sport has kept them close to their culture and their motherland.
“It’s like a festival, you know? Yeah. Part of me still can’t even believe it. India, Pakistan. It doesn’t get bigger than that,” said Singh.
On June 8, New Yorkers, as well as several of these players, got to experience the ICC T 20 World Cup with a match between India and Pakistan at the popular Eisenhower Park on Long Island for the very first time. The sold-out match saw 34,000 spectators in the stadium.
“With the World Cup coming here, it allows all the big players to come in here, see the craze of the game, and even the administrator would realize that there is a there is a growing market and growing enthusiasm about the game, which will hopefully bring in more investment into the game,” said Kalpesh Kathiriya, president of the Capital District Cricket Association.
They feel they are seeing the unimaginable occur. Meaning none of these people would have ever thought that they’ll be seeing a big cricket match in their own state.
“A bunch of us have started this local league Capital District Association back in 2015 and ever since it’s been a it’s been a home for hundreds of cricketers in the capital region and the youth,” said Ashok Adikoppula, member of the Capital District Cricket Association.
The Capital District Cricket Association says that this representation of cricket in sports is important and their success in bringing the game to this region gives them a lot of hope for the future of cricket. And of course, the T20 World Cup is the “cherry on top.”
“We have seen that transition. We’ve been part of that transition as local cricketers and volunteers across the nation. And now we see the World Cup happening on our own Long Island within the New York State. So that’s a big, big achievement to USA cricket and the cricket community in general,” Adikoppula said.
