For the love of cricket

27 of the players of the cricket group gather at the Branch Brook park for a photo during one of their games on Sept. 17 in Newark N.J. (Esther Paul for Public Square Amplified)

NEWARK, NJ—Growing up in India, a ball, a bat and a wicket brought children together in the streets. Now, the game of cricket is bringing a group of immigrants together in New Jersey.

On a recent Saturday in Branch Brook Park, a group of men, all of them of Indian heritage, came to play a spirited game of cricket. Eleven spread out on the field of grass. As they wait for their turn to bat, ten others gathered around a tree to cheer on their counterparts. The first hitter (the ‘batsman’) holds the bat in his hand, knees slightly bent, eyes fixed on the player standing some 50 feet away. That player, “the bowler,” twists the ball in his hand, looks up, runs a few feet, and tosses the ball towards the batsman. In a swift movement, the ball connects with the wooden bat and it’s gone traveling across the field.  The players closest to the spinning ball stand prepared, eyes scanning the sky for the chance to catch it. Will one succeed, ending the batsman's journey? Will that player be able to throw it back to the bowler and stump the wicket before the batsman makes his way home? And how many runs can the two batsmen make before this occurs? That is cricket.

Similar to America’s favorite sport of baseball, cricket is played with a bat and ball and involves two teams of 11 players each. While one team takes a turn to bat and attempts to score the highest possible runs, the opposing team bowls and guards the field to restrict them from scoring. Like baseball, the main objective is to score the most runs. 

Although unknown to most Americans the game is the second most followed sport on the planet. Only soccer has more fans.  

Cricket originated in England more than three hundred years ago and made its way around the globe by British colonizers. It was introduced in India in 1721 by sailors and traders of the English East India Company. Today it is steeped in Indian culture.

For the group that showed up in Branch Brook Park it made up their childhood, and their lifelong passion for the game is what has been bringing them to the park every weekend for the past five years. Viren Meghani picked up his first bat and ball at five years old. Rohan Sharma played in the leagues. Sagar Vadalia never misses a televised game. And Kirsten Shah describes it as a religion in India. On the streets of India, religion, class, and backgrounds didn’t matter when cricket was in play–just the love of the game. In America, the culture is different and for some of them it took a while to assimilate into but it’s that same love that brings about familiarity to their roots at home.

“We all thought okay what should we do about the game we love so much?” Anirban Ghosh said. “We grew up seeing the game our parents, sometimes our dads, our brothers used to play so we said let’s gather a group.”

What started as a group of eight four years ago has grown to more than a hundred players, Ghosh said. They play for fun, for exercise, and as a means of keeping an important part of their culture alive.

(From left to right) Anirban Ghosh and Nandkumar Yadav sharing a moment on the field on Sept. 17. in Newark, N.J. (Esther Paul for Public Square Amplified)

Ghosh is one of the original members.  He said when they moved to America, their priorities and responsibilities changed, and they needed to “get serious about work and earning bread for [their] families.” But the game never left them.

So, they found a way to keep that part of their lives alive. They were once strangers and for some, they’ve never met beyond the field but through word of mouth and their WhatsApp group, a brotherhood has formed. Today, others are still  joining. All have found community in the game. 

Santosh Chavan joined three years ago. He came to the U.S. as a student more than 12 years ago and has tried new sports, but none were as entertaining as cricket, he said. The game brings back childhood memories of playing in parking lots in his home of Mumbai and although it was a small town with small facilities they made it work. 

“I think cricket is just a way of, how should I put this, staying connected to the roots away from home,” he said. “It’s just a way of just going back to the days of staying at home.”

Chavan said he finds it easier to connect to others who have gone through the same experiences as he has growing up. That’s what keeps him coming back to his cricket teammates.

“I’ve seen the same cartoons,” he said. “I’ve admired the same sporting personalities. We share a lot in common and it’s a lot easier to make friends and stay rooted. Cricket, the cultures, just [a] common thread that keeps us all together I guess.”

 Viren Meghani, who is from Maharashtra, a state in Western India, picked up his first bat and ball at around age five and went on to play professionally. The difference between then and showing up for his team at Branch Brook Park is that now it’s strictly for fun and the love of the game. Even more so is the tie to his roots.

“Cricket is a thing that binds culture,” Meghani said.

It can also ease tensions between adversaries, he said, namely Pakistan and India.

“There’s already always a conflict about borders and all but cricket is something that binds those two countries together,” he said. “ We still have conflicts on borders and all but inside we are all the same when it comes to cricket.”

Rahul Verma, who grew up in India, and was visiting with the group for the second time, heard about the group through WhatsApp. He said having access to the game while away from his homeland has been a blessing. He knew of a few people who played competitive cricket but what stood out for him with this group is the fun they have. It’s what will keep him coming back.

Other countries that have adopted cricket include the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Caribbean. Members of the Branch Brook Park group are hoping the game continues to gain more followers here.  

“I think ICC (International Cricket Council) is looking at the West as a big market to grow commercially,” said Santos Chavan. “It's going to happen I feel, so would it have the diversity that the demographics dictate here? I don't know. I guess time will tell that.”

Meanwhile, the local team will continue to meet and also encourage others to join. The group is open to all.

“It’s been an interesting journey,” Ghosh said. “We all have different variety of backgrounds at present, different areas of work, but when it comes to the game we all get together and you’ll see the passion.”