Take Me Out to the Cricket Match
Come spring, the crack of a bat generally conjures the image of little leaguers (or major leaguers) on a baseball diamond. But for some, the sound represents the world’s second most popular sport—cricket.
The current Einstein Team XI: (top row, from left) Soumya Chatterjee, Shashank Nambiar, Sriram Sundaravel, Amit Kumar Mishra, Thoufiqul Alam Riaz, Salman Sadullah Usmani; (middle row, from left) Pratyush Das, Nitin Amdare, Nityanand Srivastava; and (bottom row, from left) Jayaram Vankudoth, Ankit Tanwar, Vrishank Aggarwal, Ritesh Aggarwal, and Varun Gupta. (Not shown) Saurabh Singh and Ramanuja Simha
At Einstein, the desire by some to play cricket has led to the formation of a competitive team and a club.
For Dr. Ankit Tanwar, associate scientist in oncology, playing cricket at Einstein brings a feeling of home. He is among a core group of postdocs and friends that assembled a team last summer so that they could compete in the Westchester Premier League (WPL). The adult league features teams from throughout Westchester and neighboring counties, rather than competitions among college clubs or teams.
Ankit grew up in New Delhi and began playing cricket as a youth. “In India, cricket is in our blood,” he said. “Everyone plays.”
He continued competing at the college, masters, and Ph.D. levels as a captain, so it seemed natural to see if he could find like-minded cricketers at the College of Medicine. Soon after his arrival at Einstein in 2018, Ankit began playing with cricket-loving friends on a lawn near Einstein housing.
A United Nations of Players
Getting Started: The first members of Einstein Team XI included (from left): Pratyush Das, Shashank Nambiar, Sahas Reddy, Nitin Amdare, Debajyoti Das, Mahinder Wadhwa, Ankit Tanwar, Varun Gupta, Nityanand Srivastava, Amanat Ali, and Salman Sadullah Usmani.
In 2022, following a discussion with Dr. Nityanand Srivastava, a postdoc in cell biology, a group of the enthusiasts coalesced into Einstein’s first official cricket team, Einstein XI, so named because the team has 11 active players during play. Ankit and Nitya currently serve as captain and vice-captain, respectively, for WPL 2023.
Nitya noted “I am from a small town in India, called Gorakhpur, and I grew up playing and watching cricket matches. It was always so much fun, and I still remember my excitement when my father gave me a cricket bat, and how I played gully cricket with my friends in the neighborhood every day.”
In addition to players from India, members of Einstein XI come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Spain, Australia, and Africa. This spring, the team—which now includes students and alumni as well as postdocs—has begun its second season in the WPL. Nitya noted, “Faculty and staff can also join us, if interested. We want all members of our campus community who can bring their cricket skills to our team to be able to play.”
During their first season in the WPL, Einstein XI won seven of 15 games. “We showed them that scientists can compete,” said Ankit, “and we are excited to win more games this summer.” (The team has won their first two games of 2023, over the East Yorkers by 14 runs and Yorktown Titans by 23 runs!)
Multiple Opportunities to Participate
Over the winter, Ankit and Nitya were joined by Ritesh Aggarwal, a postdoc in medicine, and Varun Gupta, an associate researcher in oncology and player on Team XI, when they spoke with Mohanlall “MT” Teloki, director of student life, and Aakash Mahant, a representative of the student governing board. MT and Aakash suggested holding an informative event where students could learn of the opportunity to form a club. Following the event, there was enough student interest, leading to the Einstein Cricket Club being established.
Women also enjoy playing cricket. Prasoon Jaya (left) is president of the Einstein Cricket Club. Ruby Sharma (right) is spearheading the possible formation of a women’s team.
Prasoon Jaya, a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Andreas Jenny, attended the event and is now the club president. She noted, “As a child, I enjoyed playing cricket and participated in several matches for my school team.”
She added, “We welcome all who are interested, whether you’ve never played, would like to learn the sport, or wish to practice with others. And, if we have enough players who are interested, we might organize an additional team.”
Dr. Ruby Sharma, a postdoc in microbiology & immunology, is enthusiastic about the possibility of a women’s team. She has discussed the idea with some female colleagues and staff at Einstein’s Falk Recreation Center, and observed, “We have a number of women who are interested in playing. It would be fun to form a women’s cricket team.”
Of Batsmen and Wickets
Cricket is like baseball in that it’s a bat-and-ball game played on a field and involves scoring runs. The “bowler”—akin to baseball’s pitcher—throws a small leather ball at the “batsman.” The similarities end there, however.
Batsmen must protect wickets (posts in the ground behind them) and can score runs for their team in multiple ways; in addition to catching the ball, fielders have 10 options for “giving” the batsman out. Also, two players can bat at once, creating some fast action. (Those interested in learning more about the sport can view these cricket rules.)
The game has just two innings. But an innings—the term is always plural—can last up to five days! This video from the International Cricket Council explains more.
‘Tis the Season
Einstein XI began its second season of play at the end of April. Since last year they have recruited additional team members from within Einstein who have played competitively and raise the team’s chances of winning more games. They play in the WPL and also the related CCW T10 Championship League.
You can learn the basics of cricket to get a sense of how the game is played.(Video by the International Cricket Council)
The team provides uniforms to its players—featuring a special Einstein cricket team logo on the t-shirts and Einstein baseball caps. They also are provided refreshments at all games.
Players interested in joining Einstein XI may contact Ankit at ankit.tanwar@einsteinmed.edu or nityanand.srivistava@einsteinmed.edu. Those preferring the more recreational club play can email prasoon.jaya@einsteinmed.edu. And if you’re a fan, check the league schedules for dates, times, and locations. (Be forewarned: Games can start as early as 7:15 a.m., but many are local, including in Van Cortland Park.)
Posted on: Friday, May 19, 2023