{"id":269236,"date":"2024-08-10T23:55:15","date_gmt":"2024-08-11T06:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=269236"},"modified":"2024-08-15T14:44:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T21:44:37","slug":"indians-bleed-blue-cricket-fever-strike-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/indians-bleed-blue-cricket-fever-strike-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Indians Bleed Blue \u2013\u00a0Cricket Fever Strikes USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a 4.5-hour flight to EWR Airport and 2 hours of commuting on trains (where I saw Tesher), I finally stepped into Nassau County to watch the anticipated India vs USA clash. I was just a 10-minute bus ride away from seeing my favorite team play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was the first ever time that an ICC T20 World Cup was being hosted in the United States, leading the USA team to qualify for the World Cup as a host. After defeating Canada and Pakistan, Team USA was having a historic run. It was ready to face the challenge of playing against the eventual champions of the tournament, Team India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The hundreds of Indian jerseys I saw at the train stations assured me I wouldn\u2019t get lost in New York. Steps away from the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), were hosts guiding us to the buses to our ultimate destination, the pop-up Nassau County Cricket Stadium built for the ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Author and ardent cricket fan, Manit Dassani, proudly representing his roots and his home at the India vs. USA match hosted at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was in the 10th row with a very clear view of many players warming up, including Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and the newest cricket sensation, Saurabh Netravalkar. Yuvraj Singh walked around the stadium as well, waving to fans and greeting players. I knew there would be a sea of Team India blue jerseys. However, unexpectedly many USA jerseys were present as well. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After the toss and national anthems were done, Team USA came out to bat, and that\u2019s when I found out my favorite player, Virat Kohli was going to be fielding right in front of me, alternating with Mohammed Siraj. Watching Virat\u2019s reactions to each ball coming his way was impressive. Instant reflexes chasing the ball, giving a crowd a reason to roar and send chills down my spine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If that wasn\u2019t enough, I witnessed the catch of the match right in front of me when Siraj caught Nitish Kumar\u2019s ball that was headed for a six. Wicket!<\/p>\n

At the end of the first inning, Indian fans were nervous as the United States had reached 110 runs – a good score against a strong team like India. Just after the second ball of India\u2019s innings, the nervousness among Indian fans, including me, grew. This was going to be my first time watching Virat play in person, so I was excited to watch him hopefully lead the side to a win, however, USA\u2019s star bowler, Saurabh Netravalkar, had other plans as he got Virat out for a golden duck, and he got Rohit Sharma out 2 overs later as well. Luckily, this was an Indian side with world-class batsmen, including Suryakumar Yadav, who carried the team to a win with 50 runs, not out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This was a great experience for me as I enjoyed talking to other fans and bonding over our love for the game not only at the stadium but also on the way to and from the stadium on the trains. Though I could not see Virat bat, watching him field and wave to me made the trip worth it.<\/p>\n

The craze for cricket in the USA is brewing and hosting the game in New York made us one step closer to home. BCCI, how about San Francisco next?<\/p>\n