Getting back to playing leather ball Club Cricket (non-professionals)

Last 10-12 months have been difficult times for people around the world. The restrictions caused by Covid-19 on movement as well on interaction with people. We have seen many different ways of doing things gaining traction - large scale work from home, learning through virtual mediums like online tutor led classes or online courses, no travel for months on the trot, limited / no outside food, limited / no physical sports etc. People and institutions (like corporate organizations, schools & colleges and manufacturing organizations) across the globe had to forcibly and quickly adapt to these rapids changes.

Lifestyle Changes

The most impacted aspect of all these changes has been the lifestyle of people. Although, most of these changes had negative impact on how we human beings were used to doing things, it appears that there have been few positive impacts as well. There are tons of reports on the negative impacts, but only few on some of the positive changes. The way people have nurtured their creativity and tried to accomplish something over these months is astonishing. We have seen increase in number of startups, bloggers, online content creators etc. Let us deep dive into one such positive change.

In this post, I wanted to share my thoughts on how I went about restarting sporting activities, specifically Cricket.

Passion for Sports

Many of us have keen interest in Sport and some of us are passionate about it as well. But due to restrictions on movement and interaction with outside world, it was very difficult to participate in any physical sports or fitness activities, except of yoga sessions or some indoor activities, which is not intriguing enough for people who are passionate for outdoor sports.

Before the Covid restrictions, I actively engage in physical fitness activities like running, group exercising events, badminton etc. But after the restrictions, all physical activities came to a halt, at least for the initial 6-8 months. During these months, I started thinking about getting into other sporting activities as well and decided to start playing cricket again. I knew that trying to start playing after a gap of 7-8 years (last I played for my company in one of the cricket tournaments) will not be easy, but I was really keen to start. I have always had a passion for sports and adventure and hence I remained focused over the next few months and successfully managed to play few corporate matches in Feb'2021.

The Journey

To start my leather ball cricket, I focused on 2 things in the beginning:

• Identifying a group / club that I could join

• Buying the right cricket bat (as I am into Batting and not so much into Bowling)

Based out of Bangalore, it was relatively easy to find out different open cricket clubs who were open to taking new players. Web search is the best place to find these clubs. Another place to look for these clubs was the Playo app. After speaking to few of these active cricket clubs, I joined one of them for few net sessions and couple of matches. Before starting the practice sessions, I was told that I needed to bring my own bats. That led me to an interesting learning experience.

Choosing a Cricket Bat

Once I started searching for a cricket bat, I quickly realized that the market is flooded with bats on eCommerce sites as well as in local shops. There are bats of different brands, different willow type, different prize ranges, different sizes etc.

There are 2 type of bat based on willow type - Kashmir Willow (KW) and English Willow (EW). For a player with some experience, it is suggested to start with a Kashmir willow bat to get back to practicing at nets as well as few knocks on the field. Kashmir willow bats are cheaper but still offer decent playing experience. Net sessions often induce cross batted shots, especially from newcomers who are keen to get a feel of the ball on their bat, and these cross batted shots can damage the bats. A decent KW bat should cost between INR 1500 - INR 4000. One can choose for a branded product available online or at a local shop or can also go for an unbranded bat from a local manufacturer.

I opted for a customized bat from a local shop. Luckily, I also found another KW bat in my house that I had bought couple of years back for some tennis ball cricket but never played.

After getting the bat, it is really important to knock the bats using a mallet as well as an old ball before the net session. At least 1 week of knocking is suggested to ensure bats can be taken for nets. Also, during nets, avoid playing with a new ball immediately and strictly avoid any cross batted shots for first few session. The bat will get ball marks as well as small chips might also come out. Just put some white tape or a fish net tape on the affected areas. After 4-5 net sessions, the bats can also be used for a match.

On the other hand, English Willow bats are superior in quality and the preferred choices for matches. They can be compressed more than a KW bat, hence they will be lighter as well as have better stroke. It is suggested to go for a EW bat as you start playing matches as these bats are better suited for matches. Starting price for these bats is around INR 4000.

I also bought an EW bat recently - Puma Evospeed Chromium 3500 bat. Refer to the video (Link) to know more about this bat. On the outset, the bat looks great. Still working on knocking the bat and getting it match ready.

Hoping to continue this journey and enjoy playing cricket.

Please visit the blog to read more about cricket and all other Xploration experiences.

Thank you,

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