Newton residents Bhanu Karlapudi, Suman Singh, and Tanay Desai after a recent cricket game. They are members of the Greater Boston Cricket Foundation (GBCF). (courtesy photo: Bhanu Karlapudi)
While baseball is known as America’s favorite pastime, another sport involving a bat and ball has an earlier history in this country and is beloved by ex-pats living around the U.S., including in Newton.
“It’s a beautiful sport; I’m in love with it,” said Kartik Shah, an executive committee member of the Greater Boston Cricket Foundation (GBCF). At this time, the organization only has men’s teams, but Shah said he hopes to help create teams for women. He encourages those interested in getting involved to contact him through the GBCF.
Although it’s mostly popular in England and other former territories of the British Empire, many local fans were thrilled that the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup was recently hosted by the U.S. and West Indies. Some of those fans also play in Massachusetts cricket leagues. In fact, Newton resident Chirag Bhatt was instrumental in helping the GBCF get off the ground, said Shah.
Like many cricket players and fans in the U.S., Bhatt is originally from India. After growing up there and in the Middle East, he came to America for school, eventually moving to Newton in 2016.
Bhatt recalled that as a child, he’d come home from school, finish his homework, “and go out to play with the rest of the kids … I just loved it.”
Fast-forwarding to life in the U.S., Bhatt said he enjoys watching American football and baseball, but wanted his children to learn about the sport he cherished from…