A local student is a standout player on the cricket pitch, and he hopes to see more people take an interest in the sport.
Raahul Aravind, a junior at Blue Valley North High School, said he started playing cricket as a kid casually with a plastic bat.
As he got older, though, he got more serious about the sport and eventually joined an academy team in the area through the Kansas Youth Cricket Academy at age 11.
Aravind said he found that the sport suits him well and allows him to express himself.
“My favorite part of the game is just learning every day, because it’s just like an art, you’ve got to practice it every day,” he said. ”So it’s always that consistent effort and determination to always get better.”
Recently, after his team did well at a regional cricket tournament last fall, and they made it to the Under-15 National Tournament in the USA Cricket Youth Pathway Championship.
How is cricket played?
- Aravind said the sport is kind of like baseball, just with fewer “bases,” and the pitcher — or bowler, in cricket lingo — is trying to bounce the ball to you.
- Like with baseball, you’re trying to score more runs than your opponent by hitting the ball with a bat, and there’s a batting and fielding — called bowling in cricket — team that switches.
- One way to score is by running between the “wickets” on either end of the field after you’ve hit the ball. At the same time, the bowling team is trying to dismiss the batting team in order to get their turn to hit.
- There are two types of bowlers in cricket — a pace bowler and a spin bowler.
- Aravind is a spin bowler, and he says he tries to put rotation on the ball so it moves away from its initial trajectory when it bounces.
- A pace bowler aims to send the ball toward the batter at a high speed, like a fastball pitcher in baseball.
- Find more information about how cricket is played here.
City recently honored Aravind’s accomplishments
Last month, Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog issued a proclamation declaring March 3 as Raahul Aravind Day in honor of Aravind’s cricket achievements.
The proclamation, read by Councilmember Inas Younis during an Overland Park City Council meeting, detailed his accomplishments as a cricketer.
It described an “outstanding performance as the leading bowler for the Missouri region” during the regional contests that ultimately earned him a spot on a roster for the U15 USA Cricket National Championship in Georgia last fall.
Additionally, the mayor’s proclamation also “encourage[d] residents to celebrate Raahul’s outstanding accomplishment, commend his contributions to the sport, and wish him continued success as an exceptional role model and ambassador for cricket in our community.”
When accepting the proclamation, Aravind thanked his family, his coaches and the city.
“During these matches, I was able to hone my skills as a player,” he said, adding that playing at that level against top cricket athletes in his age group allowed him to become “a better quality player.”
Later, in an interview with the Post, Aravind described getting to play at nationals as “one of my top achievements in cricket.”
Aravind wants to see others get involved in cricket
The game, which began in Great Britain, has grown increasingly popular around the world, particularly in former British territories and colonies, like Australia and India.
Aravind said he hopes to see more people his age get involved with the sport locally.
“It’s a really fun sport, and once you get the basics right, then it’s really easy to learn,” he said. “It’s just about getting started with the game … and having an open mindset to get involved.”
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