Cricket. A sport followed by 2.6 billion people. The Top 1% get into international cricket. For me, that’s the goal. Hi, my name is Akshat Rai from 10D and I am really passionate about cricket.
The energy, the pressure, the competition, the fun and the popularity attracted me to the sport.
My journey towards my goal started at the young age of 5. That’s when I joined my first academy. Until I joined, I didn’t realize the competition and the hunger for success in people. I started playing just for fun. Through the hard work of my academy coaches, I got selected for the school cricket team in the 4th grade. Until then, I hadn’t played any tournaments that really mattered, but after playing the KGS Under-10 Cricket Tournament, I realized the competition is vast and hard.
Working hard with Shafiq Sir in the school, during morning practices, and with my academy on the weekends helped a lot and at the start of 2017, I hit my first fifty. This is when the game really changed for me. I realized my level and how much I need to work to reach that top 1%. I started scoring and won individual as well as team trophies. Recently I played for Sharjah in the Inter-Emirate cricket tournament and we ended up winning the tournament. The satisfaction of winning the tournament was immense.
Cricket takes a lot of physical exercise. It might not seem so but as a batsman, standing on the field and trying to bat for a long time takes a lot of energy. Every time you take a single, you sprint. Every time you chase after a ball, you sprint. Every time you run in to bowl, you sprint. Cricket is a very demanding game on the basis of body strength, agility and stamina. Playing for 8 hours in the UAE summer sun is not easy work. Nowadays I do 5 days of practice a week and exercise at home as well.
One part of the sport that is not talked about is the mental side of the game. As soon as you start performing, the bar you set for yourself keeps getting higher and higher but once you stop, the high bar creates high pressure. You have to be able to find ways to motivate yourself. 2020 was a bad year for me. I didn’t play at all. But in 2021, after regaining my self-confidence, I am all set for this to be my best year so far. I regained my self-confidence through self-assurance, small goal-setting and practice.
Getting into international cricket, be it from UAE or India will be hard, but with more hard work and less negative thoughts, it will start seeming easier. I believe finding a passion is really important but I also believe the saying, “Chase your dreams, but not off a cliff”. This is why catching up on my studies and doing well in school is so important. While trying to juggle playing cricket and school may be a difficult task, the skill of time management is very very helpful.
Cricket is my path. It’s the one I’ve chosen. It will be a long and treacherous journey of highs and lows, happiness and despair but hopefully, with a little bit of support from my friends, family, teachers and coaches, the journey will be fruitful.
– Akshat Rai, 10D