Far from a spotlight usually reserved for varsity athletics, N.C . State’s cricket club has quietly built themselves into one of the country’s most prolific programs. Students of all backgrounds, many of whom are estranged from their homes thousands of miles away, rely on the cricket club to feel at home.
Despite the lack of familiarity with the sport in the state of North Carolina, the University’s cricket club has been consistently successful over the past several years. Competing with the likes of Ohio State, Rutgers and Purdue, the Wolfpack has often been ranked No. 1 in the country.
Kaushik K. Gopalakrishnan is a graduate student in computer engineering and the president of the club. As a native of India, he said he loves the game for many reasons, one of which is the fact that both individual and team performances are equally important to the success of a team.
“I love the way it gives you the responsibility when your team needs you, and at the same time you realize the importance of teamwork,” Gopalakrishnan said. “I love the way the game captivates your interest.”
Gopalakrishnan also admitted to having a unique experience in contrasts between how he plays the same game at home in India and in the U.S .
“Cricket here in the U.S . is very different from cricket in India,” Gopalakrishnan said. ”The playing surfaces I have played on here are new to me, and I have never seen them before. It is a whole new experience and I feel I learn a lot from that. It is not passionate as it is in India, and that is why we want to promote the game among the local people.”
Mufaddal Noorbhaiwala , a graduate student in integrated manufacturing systems and also a native of India, claimed that cricket remains a big part of his life despite the heavy workload he has had to face in school.
“It’s very important,” Noorbhaiwala said. “Although the workload is enormous in the first semester, I can’t even think of abandoning cricket for anything else. It has always been my favorite game. ”
Noorbhaiwaala also attributed cricket to be one of the reasons that have made settling down in a new country easy.
“It has introduced me to so many new people and good cricketers,” Noorbhaiwaala said. “I always look forward to our games and practice sessions. It’s like an incentive and a motivation for me to study hard and take a deserving break to do something so constructive.”
According to Hardik Parekh , a graduate student in civil engineering and the captain of the N.C . State cricket team, playing cricket at State has not only helped him to settle down socially, but has also allowed him to hone his leadership skills. The Wolfpack cricket team is currently ranked sixth in the nation and is currently the defending champion of the Mid-Atlantic Championship.
“Ever since my first semester at State, I started playing cricket, so from the beginning it has helped me in making good friends,” Parekh said. “Working as a president, I got an opportunity to meet various club sports officers, got a chance to interact with them and know their culture. Being a club sports officer has built my self-confidence and also helped me develop better leadership and management skills.”
Parekh also stressed how satisfied he is with the progress the club has made and the impact it has had on the locals.
“I am very much impressed by the ground facilities provided here for cricket, despite [it] not being one of the popular sports. I do remember comparing cricket with baseball and explaining it to my American friends at one point of time, but it excites me now when they ask me about our game results and details. Overall, more people are taking interest in the sport of cricket.
“Those days are gone when we needed to compare cricket with baseball and explain it to people.
The cricket club meets on Fridays at 6 PM, on the Method Road fields/Lee fields. Contact Hardik Parekh at [email protected] to get involved with the club.
