If an Aggie found themselves at the Polo Fields on a Sunday morning, they’d notice a cluster of players in maroon and black cricket jerseys preparing for the day’s practice. To the players — Aggies part of the Texas A&M Cricket Team — the club is more than a team. It’s a connection to home, a community and a continuation of a passion they carried across borders.
Formed in 1999, the team originally practiced on a cricket pitch where The Gardens now stand. A dedicated group of 30 players brought the global sport to life in College Station, turning open fields into a home for cricket and creating a powerful connection between Aggie pride and an enduring passion for the game.
When the club first formed, it was the vision of Aggies from cricket-playing nations who yearned to create a space for their sport in a place where few knew the game.
Computer engineering graduate student Pranav Vaidik Dhulipala, the president of the club as well as a batsman and point fielder for the team, said the team has two weekly practice sessions, one at Penberthy Fields and another at Polo Fields, where the team hosts warmups, long catches, short catches and bowling practices. On Sundays, they play matches at the Polo Fields.
“The team started as a minor club, but around 2014, they started growing immensely because of cricket matches that were held at The Gardens,” Dhulipala said. “There were people from India, Australia and the West Indies who played a simulated World Cup, and everyone enjoyed coming together to play a sport they grew up loving.”
The Polo Fields are expansive and arid, with patches of dry, hay-like grass — a striking contrast to the lush green turf that marks the cricket pitch in the center of the fields. The vibrant pitch stood out amongst the yellow landscape, a beacon to those seeking a piece of home.
Among those drawn to this green sporting oasis is biotechnology graduate student and leg-spin bowler Shri Aravind Manikandan Ramamirtham. He was one of the students who found his place on the team after arriving in Aggieland from India.
“I searched for cricket teams while looking for schools,” Ramamirtham said. “It mattered to me because cricket is in my blood and the love was passed down from generation to generation. I played professionally in India, and it was important to me to have a piece of home.”
The club is composed mostly of graduate students from India who serve as a bridge to the club and tournament cricket teams they left behind when they made the move to A&M. Having traveled thousands of miles and across continents, these players have now found themselves in College Station, cricket bat in hand, determined to keep the spirit of their sport alive.
Chemical engineering graduate student and medium pace bowler Shaunak Rajeev Gosavi, a cricket player since he was eight years old, said he joined the team as soon as he moved from India.
“This team is a family, and we are always looking out for each other and pushing each other to get better one match at a time,” Gosavi said. “My teammates push me to be a better cricket player every day.”
In the fall of 2019, Aggie Cricket Club moved under a national organization called the National College Cricket Association.
Headquartered in Prairie View, the short distance allows the team to frequently travel the 45 minutes down Highway 6 to face off against other schools. A&M won nationals last spring.
“We want to make cricket much more popular at Texas A&M, and there’s a lot of people that are not aware of this club,” Gosavi said. “We’d like more undergrad activity and bring out more locals, and I hope that the more we win, the more our team’s name can be mentioned.”
Aggie Cricket hopes to foster diversity in the sport, and they envision a future where cricket can draw players from all backgrounds. Their long-term goals include offering scholarships to players and expanding their reach by traveling to other states for matches.
One of their biggest milestones came recently when they officially joined the Texas A&M sports club program. Dhulipala said they were even recognized as one of the three best-performing club sports organizations at A&M.“Being a part of rec sports allows us to be on a website visited by thousands, and hopefully when they scroll and pick a club, they will see cricket and see the national champions and want to join,” Dhulipala said. “We want a lot of international students and students whose roots are connected to this sport to know they have a place they can belong.”
Engineering management graduate student Amatya Bhardwaj Manduva is a right-handed batsman who also does medium-pace bowling for the team. He started playing this semester and was one of the people who played during a recent tri-series against University of Texas-Arlington and University of Texas-Dallas.
“We would like to see a time when the cricket ground is bustling with people who want to be present and play the game,” Dhulipala said. “Our team is a family, and it is always open for others.”
