Picture a stadium packed with screaming fans, the excitement radiating off the building like an aura, with spectators bonding over the same thing: a love for the sport.
The same excitement radiates off a quiet, grassy field in St. Charles. There is no mass of people screaming. In fact, there are no fans watching this game at all. But the love for the game cuts through the wind and shines like the sun beating down on the players in the field.
In spring 2023, a handful of international students created the Webster University Cricket Team. They started with a few students playing for fun, and then registered the group as a club with SGA. Faheel Akhtar, Khoushleem Bano and Vinay Kumar Polavarapu kicked off the club with an event in April. Their hope is for the club to create a community for students to play a sport they love, even when they are so far from home.
Business professor Joe Roberts, the adviser of the club, says the idea for it came about when the International Recruitment and Services office was discussing how to get international students involved on campus. Roberts says many of his students are from Asia, where cricket is most popular.
“A large number of international students were seeking some type of ongoing activity that will keep them engaged and bring a sliver of familiarity from their home country to campus,” Roberts said, adding holding one-off events like the Holi festival or Eid festival is great, but there was no continuity.
“We asked what we can do to help make the international students feel welcome at Webster. What is the best way to give them a taste of home? [With] no family, no friends, they kind of uproot themselves from everything they know and then travel a long way to come to Webster,” Roberts said.
Today, Dhileep Kumar Reddy Nukala, who started as a player on the original team, leads the club as president. Nukala began playing at age 10 with dreams of becoming a professional player. However, he sustained an injury and his family wasn’t supportive of his plans.
“The least I could do is play and satisfy my soul,” Nukala said.
The team now consists of 30 players and five administrative staff members. The team plays in the St. Louis Cricket League along with 20 other teams, and hold matches in Manchester, St. Charles and Hazelwood.
Cricket is a sport played worldwide, but mainly popular in Asia. It has characteristics similar to baseball, with players who bat and field; instead of a diamond, the field is an oval. Both teams (or sides) bat twice, and then the match is over. The average length of a match is two hours.
“Cricket club is where our international students can show the love they feel when they are in their home country playing their most-loved sport,” Nukala said.
The empty bleachers at the matches don’t diminish the players’ spirits. Nukala says their excitement comes from the passion for the sport and the connection between their teammates.
“Most of the Asian students are passionate about cricket and they show real enthusiasm for the sport,” Nukala said. “They have been showing their cricketing skills on the ground and the field.”
Sai Bhargav Raavi began playing cricket at 7 years old when he watched a professional Indian team play the sport.
“Although cricket may be a hobby for some people, it is my source of happiness in places where I am stuck,” Raavi said.
Raavi has nicknames for some of the players he’s closest to. They tease each other like kids on a playground. During a recent match, Raavi and a few of his friends sat and ate French fries as they waited to bat. They had missed lunch for a match earlier in the day.
“This club provided me with a sense of belonging and community. I have great respect for the team and made good friends. Shyam, Varun, Sai Kumar, Dinesh are my best buddies on the team,” Raavi said. “Rather than just a connection, I have a cricket family with Webster cricket club.”
Nukala is working to have cricket recognized by the university as an official sport.
“Our intention is to include cricket under the sports and athletic departments so that every student can have the opportunity to represent cricket at the university level,” Nukala said.
The NCAA doesn’t recognize cricket as an official sport for college athletics. However, there is an organization called American College Cricket that officially acknowledges college cricket clubs. Webster’s cricket club is not recognized by the organization, but is hoping to be in the future.
Nukala is also working to create a women’s cricket team. The club will have a meeting in the coming weeks, inviting all who are interested to attend, and then have a selection process to determine who will be on the team.
Thousands of miles away from the familiar comforts of home can leave some foreign-born students feeling out of place.
“Cricket Club is a feeling of bringing home and bringing a sense of, ‘You belong here,’” Roberts said.
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