Latest news with #SanjayKrishnamurthi
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
MLC 2025: From Bengaluru to the Bay Area - How Sanjay Krishnamurthi found his cricket calling in the USA
Sanjay Krishnamurthi (Sportzpics Photo) NEW DELHI: Like many juniors who took to cricket and competed in the age-group circuit, Sanjay Krushnamurthi harboured dreams of playing for India. Passion for the sport saw him join an academy in Bengaluru, play zonal cricket and for the state's U-16 side but after India's 2011 World Cup win, he moved with his family from Arizona to Karnataka. The ambition of playing cricket professionally now came with a pragmatic approach. He acknowledged that tough competition and a conveyor belt of talent coming through didn't make things easy. The timelines to life were impacted by COVID-19 and the fact that he's an OCI (Overseas Citizenship of India) card holder, which prevents him from playing for the country. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "Yeah, from the moment I started playing cricket in India, the goal was to play for India. But I think I was also realistic. That it could happen. But I can't bank on anything happening. Because there are so many other players. And if it doesn't happen, what is my life going to look like? And yet, to make it happen, you have to throw everything at it, you can't go in half-heartedly," said the 22-year-old who has represented the USA in 14 ODIs and nine T20Is. "But over here, I feel like I'm able to pursue a college degree and play high-level cricket. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo So I think I'm happy with where I am right now," he added. In 2019, a call had him course correct. His American citizenship earned him a trial with the Major League Cricket (MLC), which was still in its early days. A camp in Mumbai was followed by another in Houston. What was supposed to have been a three-week stay was prolonged by the coronavirus pandemic. "Another thing is I'm an OCI cardholder. I'm not an Indian citizen. After I played for Karnataka, they made the rule that OCI cardholders can't play for the state. So, in order to try to play for India, I'd have to completely give up my US citizenship, and it would be a very long process. So yeah, I think that door (is) shut," he explained. Poll What do you think is the biggest obstacle for cricket in the US? Lack of funding Limited infrastructure Low interest from youth Since then, he's taken to life in the US with both hands. A computer science student at San Jose University, Krishnamurthi juggles full-time education with professional cricket. It doesn't help that the sport isn't popular at the collegiate level. "It's weird being a high-level athlete at a University, but I don't play for the University. So I don't get the privileges of a high level athlete that a lot of the other athletes do. Like, our University has a Water Polo team that gets quite a bit of support. But then the other thing is every University has a swimming pool, not every University has a cricket field, so the infrastructure required to make cricket big is quite a bit. And that's the real bottleneck right now, because there is interest," he stated when reasoning about the challenges of playing a sport that is still in its prime stages. Sanjay Krishnamurthi (Sportzpics for MLC) "I think it's a similar reason to why it took cricket so long to get to the Olympics. I think maybe first get it into high schools. And for high school cricket, they wouldn't have to play at the best fields; they can play on the AstroTurf pitches on baseball grounds, that's fine. But as long as they keep looking at the younger players, that's when it's really going to grow. "I think that right now, the model of professional cricket is where they're putting all the resources into. And then a lot of the players are coming from outside of the US. So what we want is more players who are born and brought up in the US to be able to make it through the ranks and have support at each level. But it's an interesting problem that requires a lot of thought and time and money, probably," he said on the US cricket's challenges. Krishnamurthi's task of getting some leeway from his teachers is helped by the fact that he's scored 345 runs for the country in the two limited overs formats and picked six wickets. Last year, he earned the big ticket in the MLC, having earlier played in the Minor League for East Bay Blazers, scoring 872 runs and taking 54 wickets from 42 matches. Major League Cricket 2025 Explained: Teams, Schedule & Where to Watch Part of the San Francisco Unicorns for two seasons now, finding a spot in MLC 2024, he scored 169 runs from 9 matches at a strike rate of 136.29 and average of 24.14. His stint included one fifty with a top score of an unbeaten 79 runs. Sharing the dressing room with Australian stars like Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis and coached by Shane Watson, it has been a boost to the player born in Oregon. "Last season was my first time actually playing and it was an incredible experience, especially to be alongside players such as Cummins, who is the Australia captain and one of the best players in the world right now. It was an opportunity for me to test myself against these guys, and until that point, I didn't know quite where I stood at the highest level. But after last season, it gave me a lot of confidence." Last year's runners-up the Unicorns will get their season underway against the reigning champions Washington Freedom at the Oakland Coliseum. Based in the Bay Area, Krishnamurthi is keen to have his friends and family come out to watch what is a "home" game. "I am so excited, having friends and family being able to come. A lot of club cricketers will also be there and it will be special. Even if Oakland Coliseum wasn't my home ground, it would still be super exciting because it is the biggest stadium in the MLC. Also that the Bay Area has a big South Asian population this is our best chance at getting a decent sized crowd and building excitement around MLC," concluded the young batter.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Rising American Cricketer Sanjay Krishnamurthi Set To Be Homegrown Hero For San Francisco
San Francisco Unicorns batter Sanjay Krishnamurthi is an American cricketer on the rise. Three years ago, Sanjay Krishnamurthi was high in the terraces of the iconic Coliseum amid a rabid Athletics fanbase soaking in MLB action with the stunning Oakland Hills in the background. Back then the starry-eyed teenager was in the very early stages of being a professional cricketer having made his international debut for the U.S. in an One-Day International against Oman in September 2021. However, the febrile atmosphere left Krishnamurthi feeling somewhat melancholy as he dreamt of playing cricket, a global bat and ball sport but relatively invisible in the congested sports market of the U.S, in such surroundings. 'I remember thinking if only cricket can get to this level in the U.S. that would be amazing,' Krishnamurthi told me in an interview. On Thursday, the recently turned 22-year-old Krishnamurthi will step onto the hallowed Coliseum turf as a member of San Francisco Unicorns in the much-hyped Major League Cricket's season launch against defending champions Washington Freedom. After the MLC's first two seasons were consigned to Dallas and Morrisville, North Carolina, the match represents Unicorns' first official home ground with more than 12,000 fans expected to attend. Playing at such a treasured site is considered a game-changer for the well-heeled MLC and cricket's exposure in the U.S. It is currently only a one-season arrangement with the Coliseum to host three home Unicorns games and nine overall. But the development made a widespread splash with the announcement widely reported, including in The New York Times, Axios and mainstream media in the Bay Area. 'The Coliseum has such a rich history and to think that we're playing there is really cool,' said Krishnamurthi,who will be playing his second season of MLC. 'I'm so excited to be playing in front of home fans and also my friends and family.' There are big dreams for cricket in the U.S, with the sport to end its 128-year Olympic drought at the Los Angeles Games. But the initial steps have been rather modest. Cricket will be played at the LA Olympics (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images) The long-awaited arrival of MLC, along with hosting big events such as last year's T20 World Cup and playing at the Coliseum, has hoped to introduce the sport to those who only know cricket as a pesky insect or confuse it for that other rather quaint well-to-do British sport - croquet. 'I told my eye doctor recently that I'm playing in a cricket tournament and she said 'I heard they are playing at the Oakland Coliseum',' Krishnamurthi said. "She's East Asian, so you wouldn't expect her to have heard of cricket. I think that was pretty cool. 'One of my friends saw my face on some Unicorns branding selling rice at a grocery store,' he added amid a chuckle. 'So people start seeing that around and that just means awareness is growing.' While MLC has been able to reel in top players from powerhouse cricket nations such as Australia and England, giving it heft and pizzazz amid a saturated cricket circuit, its ultimate success in the U.S. will be determined by creating hometown heroes. Major League Cricket has brought in many top cricketers from around the world (AP Photo/LM Otero) Hard-hitting, spinning allrounder Krishnamurthi fits the bill having been passed on the love of cricket from his India-born father. While his schoolmates were more interested in shooting hoops, throwing a football or pitching, Arizona-raised Krishnamurthi was obsessed with cricket and his skills developed quickly after he moved to India with his parents as an eight-year-old. Krishnamurthi eventually returned to the U.S. seeking greater playing opportunities and also to study computer science at San Jose State University, where most of his classmates are seemingly oblivious that they hit the books with an international cricketer. 'I think most of my classmates have no idea,' Krishnamurthi laughed. "But after last MLC, the university posted a pretty nice article on me on their main page. 'I think that gave me a little bit of attention within the university, but yeah…still pretty anonymous.' While he eyes batting in the top-order, Krishnamurthi is making his mark for the U.S. in international cricket at No.7 in the finisher role. In what is arguably the hardest role in the batting-order in white-ball cricket, Krishnamurthi's power-hitting and ability to clear the boundaries makes him a natural. He posted his first international half-century in last month's ODI against Canada in Lauderhill, Florida, followed by an unbeaten 40 off 27 against Oman marked by a trio of huge sixes. Sanjay Krishnamurthi has starred for U.S. recently (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty ... More Images) 'Last winter I went to India and I did a lot of work on my power hitting,' Krishnamurthi said. "I'm embracing it. I do feel like I have that power element in my game that I can come down the order and that's what they (the U.S. hierarchy) see in me. 'But I'm hoping to eventually bat up the order and get to face a few more balls.' Krishnamurthi's cavalier batting is set to make him a fan favorite in the MLC and he looms as a key cog in Unicorns' line-up, boosted by a slew of recruits including young Australian internationals Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett. The fledgling MLC has already proven invaluable experience for American players, who are sponges when mingling with some of the biggest stars of the sport. Last season, Krishnamurthi rubbed shoulders with legendary Australia captain Pat Cummins and dynamic Australia batter Josh Inglis, whose inventive batting has become a prototype in the shorter formats. 'Pat's so simple with his mindset and super prepared that he takes the emotions out of it once he has bowled the ball. I found that so insightful,' Krishnamurthi said of Cummins, who is not playing MLC this season due to international commitments. 'Josh was pretty incredible because he accesses areas that I can't even think of accessing with his reverse flicks and scoops, so he's a batter that I really tried to learn from.' Krishnamurthi will enter the season full of confidence and a breakout looms for an emerging cricketer who could soon find himself in demand on the T20 franchise circuit. Flamboyant but mature - Krishnamurthi's is also starting to handle with ease his growing media commitments - the talented youngster might just be the tonic American cricket needs to start making waves at home and beyond. 'We hope to one day win a World Cup and that can be a reality because there are a lot of talented cricketers in the U.S,' he said. "We just need more exposure and that will help us get better. 'The MLC gives us a chance to mix it with some of the best players in the world and I'm excited to try to help Unicorns win the title.'
