Making your way in a new country can be a challenge. But for chemical engineering master’s student Vikram Bharadwaj, joining a cricket team has made all the difference.
“I come from India and I’m in the second year of my master’s in chemical engineering. I am currently working on my thesis and then I will do an internship before I graduate in August. It’s been a roller coaster experience living here. The weather is sometimes not so good, but the people in the Netherlands have shown me good hospitality. So far, it’s been a very interesting experience.
In my country, cricket is like a religion. People in India love it to the maximum. Emotions run high when people are watching it on television. It’s one of the most relished sports in my culture starting from a very young age. So, before coming here I did a lot of research about how cricket is in the Netherlands and how people participate. I came across some Facebook groups and luckily, I found lots of Indian people who participate in many classes of competitions. It’s a nice opportunity for us to showcase our skills and get involved in local teams for the Dutch league.
‘We’re always looking for new talent that can help us grow’
I’ve been involved with a private club in Delft called Concordia Cricket Club and we have four teams. I play for the second team and we participate in competitions from May until August. We’re always looking for new talent that can help us grow and become more competitive. Because the more we win, the better our chances are for getting into higher leagues.
We play against clubs located all over the Netherlands. The nice thing is that it’s not only Indians, but there are many people from the Netherlands that participate in these events. It’s amazing to see how people have become involved in a sport that is relatively unfamiliar in this country.”
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Heather Montague / Freelance writer
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