<icket is a popular sport in South Asia where each child is brought up on a regular fare of some Sachin Tendulkar and Brett Lee. This trend has migrated to Carleton with the growing influx of international students who thrive on the game. Carleton’s cricket team is slated to play its first intercollegiate match in four years against Macalester College this Saturday. Petra Crosby, Director of International Students, arranged this match.
Alexander Persaud, who manages the team, has been involved since his freshman year. He says, “The club has changed a lot over my four years. It used to be a small organization of just a handful of South Asian students. Over time, we’ve expanded the club as more South Asian students have come to Carleton and more American students have joined in. The club has matured a lot over the years, and we’ve seen good progress in not only playing for fun but also getting a dedicated group of players together.”
Taimur Khan, a seasoned cricketer who has played for a decade now, says, “Most of us are Desis, making fun of each other, speaking in Urdu and having a great time. It definitely has a lot of nostalgic value because I think it makes me more connected to home. The team dynamics are very informal and we are close to each other. It’s just about having a good time and not being too serious. Some professors play with us too; Peter Brandon and his sons who are aged 5 and 7 come with him and they are tremendously enthusiastic players. They have their own Batman branded bats and know a lot about cricket!”
Arnab Chakladar, an English professor at Carleton, has also been involved in this club sport. He says, “My relationship with Carleton cricket team is much like that of Eklavya and Drona in the Mhabharata, except in reverse. Eklavya learned archery from Drona from afar. Similarly, I have taught the Carleton cricket team from afar, but without their knowing about it. How they do on Saturday will depend on how much of my teaching they remember. Or maybe how much of it they forgot.
Persaud muses, “I can say that I’m most excited to see all the Carleton players coming together to beat Macalester. We have some good bowlers and so I’m excited to see them rip through Macalester’s batting line-up.”
Regarding the future prospects cricket at Carleton, Crosby says, “We hope this will get to be an annual event. This past summer saw the first national intercollegiate cricket match in Florida, so we hope to make it next year to the nationals as well.”