By Rifat Malik and Haider Abbas

Cricket fever continues to spread in the U.S. as young players from around the country converge on the National Cricket League’s historic first official tournament to take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet and learn from long-admired international cricketing icons.

As “The Gentlemen’s Game” takes its roots in the U.S., two local young cricketers from Dallas, Saikanth Akunuri and Karthik Gadeela, say for them the NCL offers a chance to make it to the big stage.

Karthik Gadeela: India to Texas, a Young Cricketer’s Journey

Gadeela is a young player from Hyderabad, India who says he played Indian domestic cricket. After moving to California, Gadeela continued his love of the game at the collegiate level. He moved to Dallas in 2017 after completing his Master’s degree and has been playing here since. After his impressive performances in local cricket, Atlanta Kings picked him up for the NCL’s new Sixty Strikes.

“It’s really good here,” says Gadeela. “I am excited to play and be part of this team like sharing the dressing room with the international players. We have been playing Cricket over here for long but this is the first time to share the dressing room with the International Players.”

Experience of Playing in the NCL and Meeting Idols

The young all-rounder has a deep love of the game. Although he still hasn’t met all his idols playing or coaching in the tournament, he plans to do so before the competition concludes on Monday. “I didn’t get a chance to meet with others like Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik. I just saw them from afar but I didn’t want to disturb them so I didn’t go and talk to them. Talking to Sam Billings and sharing their experience and learning something from them is nice, and yesterday we met (Imran) Tahir,” says the young all-rounder of the South African international star. 

Difference between Sixty Strikes and Other Formats of the Game

Speaking about the skill set required for Sixty Strikes and other versions of the game, Karthik admits it’s hard to adapt to the new format, despite playing it before. “It’s really fast-paced like we have to be ready – batters are ready from the first ball so there’s no room for error…its an hour game. It is really fast but sometimes you also have time where you don’t need to swing every ball.”

Future of Cricket in the U.S.

Gadeela feels there are plenty of opportunities in the U.S. for those who want to pursue cricket and the sport’s had a welcome boost with the newly launched NCL. “It’s been 10 years since I have been to India and the conditions since have improved a lot…the Leagues are growing up so they can learn things and cricket is growing, so it’s wonderful,” he says.

Saikanth Akunuri: Rising Star of Dallas

Akunuri is another young cricketer who has played in Indian domestic cricket and has now been involved in local teams for the past seven years. “I’ve been playing Cricket since I was a kid and I represented my state back home,” said the young all-rounder who says he was thrilled to be chosen to play for the Dallas Lonestars CC.