Ashwath: You're listening to Between the Wickets.
Hello and a warm welcome to everyone tuning in to Between the Wickets.
Today, I'm talking to Coach Arpit Shah of Cricmax Academy in New Jersey.
Coach Arpit, thank you so much for joining me today on my podcast to talk about your cricket journey in the US and with that, the founding and evolution of Cricmax in New Jersey.
You were my first coach and now you're the first guest in my podcast series. It would be great if we could start off by you introducing yourself.
Coach Arpit: Hello everybody, my name is Arpit Shah. I am one of the partners at Cricmax and while I've played many roles, one of the roles at Cricmax that I've enjoyed the most is to perform the role of level one coach. Kids who come in new, I would have the privilege of orienting them with the sport of cricket.
That's how I met Ashwat. Yeah, I've had the privilege of seeing the journey of many of these cricketers learn to play from how to hold the bat and how to really kind of run up and do the bowling, all the way to now, how fantastic these folks are.
So, yeah, it's been a privilege to be part of the cricket fraternity.
Beyond CrickMax, I have been in this country for 25 plus years, originally from India. I grew up over there and ame here to do my undergrad. And that's where cricket sort of seeped back into the life for us. The fun part was that while I've always had like a full-time job and work is still there for me, I've always found this passion and the passion project of CricMax to be what has been driving us to do more and deliver more for the community. Students like you, Ashwath.
So, you know, I sit here thinking and remembering, you know, how you had joined our academy as this little kid and, how you have become an amazing cricketer, an amazing human being, and you're doing what you've started here. So I'm, I'm really excited with he initiative that you've taken and really looking forward to this conversation today.
Ashwath: Thank you, Coach. I still clearly remember my initial days at CricMax, learning from you and from the other coaches back then. And it's a great feeling to connect with you today in a different setting, and I'm really excited to get into this conversation.
So you talked a little bit about how you first came to the U.S. around 25 years ago.
So when you first came, what was the cricket scene like in the United States when you were in college? Did you see cricket being played all around you? Did you hear anyone talking about cricket? What was it like when you first came?
Coach Arpit: It wasn't as prevalent as where it is right now, for sure.
The least I expected was that I'd run into somebody or I'd be walking around, and I'll find a cricket field where a whole bunch of people are playing cricket, which I do find nowadays, you know. Back then…look, to be honest, being a student coming into a country, my life had different priorities, right?
So I was quite focused on just getting acclimatized, learning, settling, making some money in through summer jobs, etc. so that I could pay for my tuition. But a couple of years into it, one of the evenings we ended up doing what cricketers always do, right? Any opportunity you find, you make cricket happen.
So we were outside our library, the Dana Library was the name of the library at Rutgers Newark campus and we saw a fantastic corridor which was ground enough for us, you know. A few of us, tape ball, some bat, some pieces of wood, whatever, and we made cricket happen and it all came back, you know.
Yeah, my orientation to cricket over here started with something like that.
At that time, we were the 8th team in Millennium Cricket League when we sort of launched our team back in 2003. We did not have a permit to a ground. And I say this story in a funny way now, but it was not as much fun back then. But, Millennium was a Saturday only league. So, we enrolled as a team.
And out of the 14 matches that the league plays, we had to host seven of them. And, the first game we were supposed to host, we're looking around. We're like, "Ah, sure. It should be easy enough to find a ground, right? So much land all around us.”
No, we cannot find a ground. The only possibility we had was a ground in Piscataway, which basically had a permit system that was not necessarily a permit system. It was basically like, if you got to the ground first, it's yours. Okay. You do whatever with it.
So we said, “Okay, we can't really host a game and not have a ground. So we made the trip the night before Friday night around 2 am.
A couple of us went, and we procured the ground by laying the mat—as in dumping the mat and putting the stumps over there. We slept in the parking lot in the car, and somebody else came up in the morning to relieve us and freshen up, and then that's how we started, you know. So, to answer your question, you know, there were not many grounds.
There were not many cricketers. There were not many cricket stores. There were certainly not even any academies or indoor structures back then. So cricket was a luxury.
Yeah, but we were crazy enough to figure things out and keep pushing.
Ashwath: It's incredible to hear how you and your cricket-crazy friends overcame so many constraints back then and were focused on somehow making cricket happen.
So, you talked about being the 18th in Millennium Cricket League and playing all these games and going through all this. What prompted you from going to playing cricket as a team to eventually opening up an academy and wanting to teach others and spread cricket in the United States?
Coach Arpit: Yeah, uh, that's a very good question because we were really cricket crazy folks, right? You give us any opportunity, we'll make cricket happen. And it just so happened, and I'm sure this has happened to you as well, that cricket started giving us a lot more than just, you know, the joy of winning or losing, right? We made a lot of amazing friends. We learned so much about life without really spelling it out like that.
But we, you know, we learned to fight. We learned to show up. We learned to try and make things happen, right? We learned to enjoy the highs, which we did really have to learn. It felt good. But then we really learned to deal with the lows.
Ashwath: I just want to pause here because what you just told me makes me reflect on a few things.
Personally, I've experienced multiple aspects in playing cricket. You know, like you said, one side is about scoring runs and taking wickets, but I think the other side is the friends that you make on your team and the enjoyment in going on tours with them. Some of my best friends are from my team and I really do enjoy traveling with them.
So yeah, it's really important to keep in mind that there's much more to this game than just runs or wickets.
Great. So back to the topic of how you decided and went about forming an academy. I would love to hear about that.
Coach Arpit: The game gave us so much that it just started feeling like it was one of those things that we just had to give back to the game, right?
And I'm sitting here verbalizing it like that back then it wasn't like that, right? It was more about like, “Hey, let's, let's start a new business. Let’s, you know, do something for the cricketers.” And it started actually by Amar and Dipesh. They started from the back of their trunks from the garage to actually procure gear from India and some of the local stores to help their team members.
Then the extended teams in the league, you know, beyond states, etc—they started really like that to help cricketers with cricket gears back in 2005, I would say.
Somewhere around 2009 or 2010, Rey and I also joined the party. When we joined, we really had the intent to bring the very best infrastructure to the young cricketers in the United States.
So, yeah, at that time it was like, okay, great. We have an equipment business, so to speak, right? We want to bring an end-to-end aspect to this by offering an academy where recreational cricketers can play and where youth can come and really hone their game. So that's sort of how the pieces of the puzzles were coming together.
And yeah, over the next four years, Cricmax happened. We launched the academy in Old Bridge in February of 2014. We had the formal inauguration in April by Michael Clark. Yes, it was like a fantastic sort of experience to have an existing international captain, you know, show up and spend time with us.
So, that’s how the recreational set of cricketers stitched together different pieces to launch a full-blown academy and an end-to-end cricketing experience.
Ashwath: Yeah, it's really cool how you brought your own experiences and passion and put them together to give back to all the people in the United States who wanted to start Cricket.
So, now when you go to CricMax, the facility, you always see kids practicing, parents with their kids, or like, just random people having fun there. How was CrickMax in the beginning, in 2014, around that time period? Were there a lot of kids participating and how did it ultimately get to what it is today?
Coach Arpit: Yeah, that's a very good question. And I would say that, you know, if we know what we know now, before we had started Cricmax, we would have probably thought something different of the business, right? In other words, we thought that, “Hey, you know, we are enjoying this game so much. So everybody else has got to enjoy this, right?”
Everybody else has got to want it. So when we actually started this vision of having an academy. We hired a full time coach first before we even had any students, right? So we met with coach Ashok back in 2012, around February/March timeframe. He was with us full time and he joined us as one of the partners, right?
So it was a privilege to have him not just interested in coaching, but really in the end-to-end dream, uh, that we had. So, he was with us in May timeframe, and we were like, “Great! Coach Ashok is here, let's start. While we are still looking at the facility and finding a place and whatnot, let's launch our program.”
That's what we ended up doing. We launched a program in May of 2012, yeah, or thereabout. Like, great, we're going to take no more than 40 students. That's too many for one coach to accommodate. Okay, that's the plan. So let's go with the plan.
We distributed about a thousand flyers between Oak Tree Road, Metro Park train station, Princeton train station, Park and Rides, multiple Park and Rides, Old Bridge, East Windsor, a whole bunch of them.
So we did this round of extensive marketing, many restaurants, et cetera, et cetera. And, we're waiting. We’re waiting for students to enroll. And it's like three days before the camp. And we had three students who had enrolled—and there you go, you know. That was our first kind of reality to the cricket world in New Jersey and generally in the US, where we were like, “Ah, not everybody is Ready to commit to this sport, which they can't see in school.”
They can't find grounds around There's no scholarship. This sport doesn't exist in any national scene at all. So Yeah, those realities sunk in, and they were hard truths. Like, okay, what do we do now? Right? So like three days before the enrollment of three people, by the time the first session came about, all, all of a sudden became 10 students—four cousins of Dipesh, two of my nephews.
So that was our humble beginning, right? That was just one part of it, you know, having students. The other part was infrastructure, you know. We were holding our first session outdoor in Mercer County Park. And I still remember the session was supposed to start at 5:30. Coach Ashok was there 4:45 sharp. And he gets to the ground, and he's hoping to see, you know, a beautiful ground with groundsmen, with this, like, pitch all set up.
And he goes there and he finds nobody…because we are busy getting the mat from the other side of the park to the ground. We're busy trying to orient us around this whole setup. And I say these two stories in a, in a, in a funny way now, because they're very relevant when very exemplary, right? You have an international quality coach who has very high standards. He gets a reality check about where the infrastructure is. And then you have a bunch of very cricket, crazy business-oriented amateurs who are trying to make things happen and who are trying to, like, stitch together the pieces and they are really disappointed or, rather, frustrated with how things are starting.
Okay. And if I could tell you that that was it. And from there on it was all rosy. No, it wasn't.
Every step of the way we found many, many challenges to come back to like, you know, your question, how was it back then? And how do we find it now?
Right. So back then, by the time we got to 2014, luckily we had won a few tournaments and CricMax as an academy was starting to take good rounds.
So when we actually started the academy, we had a decent beginning. We had about 30 students and we were pushing to get more, right? So we were learning, we were improving and we were growing.
What happened over the last decade? I have to say has been stuff of the dreams for us, right? Because we've found some amazing team members who have joined us, who have been with us for a long time now.
We have in Ashok one of the best coaches one could find. And I'm sure you can tell your own stories about that. Right. And, you know, we've won 80 plus tournaments, we have had the pleasure of working with some of the amazing human beings like your dad, your mom, and some of the other parents who have come along, right, there have been this amazing support structure, not just for Cricmax, actually, but for the game as well.
Ashwath: It's fascinating to hear about the early struggles and how you all started from humble beginnings and kept following your passion for the game despite many, many obstacles.
I would love to hear about how Cricket in the U.S. has evolved over the past years from your point of view and how do you see this going forward?
Coach Arpit: So I feel like what happened, we were probably one tiny piece of the puzzle that had to come together for cricket to take the kind of momentum that it has. And we were very lucky to get amazing support from parents, from our colleagues, from coaches, and from people like you, you know, you stuck with the sport, you, you know, you played a lot, you learned a lot, and I'm sure your journey has had its own challenges, and you had choices, uh, and you chose cricket.
So cricketers like you have made an amazing difference as well. So I think in, in sort of like, if I had to summarize this. I would say that when we started, cricket was a relatively unknown sport with little to no infrastructure and certainly no pathway for youth. To now, it is a very well known sport.
There are a lot of commercials around cricket. Every youth who is interested can see a very clear path. And best of all, you know, it's, it's a sport that is now an Olympic recognized sport, 2028, it gets a place, you know, so a lot of things going for the sport and, um, really counting on more cricketers like you to join the party and, uh, take the game forward.
Ashwath: Thank you. So you talked about the evolution of Cricmax, and you touched a little bit upon cricket in USA in general. So you kind of talked about how you see the current state of USA cricket. How do you think USA cricket is going to evolve in the future? And more specifically to athletes like me and to all my teammates and all who are wondering where the future lies in USA cricket?
What should they be trying to achieve as they grow older? So what are your thoughts on that?
Coach Arpit: Yeah, I would say first of all, you know, I do want to remind people that, you know, we all want to have a very outcome-oriented view with the game, right? And people like you are probably thinking, “Hey, can I, can I represent the nation?Can I play the sport at the highest level?”
That's a fantastic goal to have and probably no better time than now, right? Because there is a lot that has changed.
The point that I do want to start with is slightly different. The game gives you so much more than you would ever realize, you know.
So don't forget that you're playing the game because the game is so much fun, right? It has agility, strength, strategy, tactics. So just for your brain, for your body, it's a fantastic sport. You make friends, you make memories, you build character. A lot happens.
So my first piece. This is a general and a gentle submission that the game is so much bigger and it is going to impact your life in so many ways, wherever you go, right?
And if that destination is not professional cricket at the highest level, the game still gives to you.
To this day, I'm not able to play over the last couple of years because of several commitments. But top of my mind is, “Hey, I've got to go back to the game.” And if I look around people, some of my best friends and some of my best memories all thanks to this fantastic game. So I will start with a reminder that this game has a lot more to give you than you will ever realize. So be a humble student.
Let's talk facts. Let's talk infrastructure.
When we started, as I told you, probably like seven or eight fields in New Jersey that were allowed for cricket.
Nowadays, every other week I'll learn about new fields. There are probably 50-plus fields in New Jersey alone that have had a dedicated cricket permit.
So, just basic number of grounds around us have increased. And I'm speaking for New Jersey. The scene in other parts of the United States is even better. More amazing, right? The growth is there. So infrastructure very much on the uptick.
Cricketers. I'm sure you watched USA versus Pakistan, one of the most amazing games that, uh, the World Cup of 2024 320 has entertained us with.
You have examples, you know, we all have examples around us now, whom we can follow, whose life is going to continue to inspire, and their game is going to hopefully bring more glory to the nation, right?
So, actually, in fact, right now, as we speak, U.S. is actually playing against West Indies right now. I don't know what the scores are, but I'm really rooting for the team.
So, there are many more cricketers who are coming from the domestic circuit and some are migrating to United States to play cricket, right? So,all in all, the level of game and the quality is on the uptick.
I would say the third thing is the pathway for a young cricketer like yourself and even the much younger self of yours, right?
When you start, you want to see is this sport… you know, am I going to get some kind of like financial support? Am I actually going to be able to play this game full-time and make a living? Is this the most responsible thing to invest my time in? The answers are trending very much towards ‘yes’ at this point, right?
It's an Olympics-certified sport. By virtue of that, it means that more and more adoption in school systems and universities is coming for cricket. And with the advent of minor league and major league cricket, and obviously all the domestic youth level cricket, as well as adult cricket, recreational cricket all around us, you don't have to go too far to find cricket anymore, you know, and you have academies like Cricmax, where you're always welcome.
And, we are bringing the very best of the coaches and the coaching infrastructure to really elevate your game, right? Whether it's the mental aspect, the physical aspect, the physical The skills, the techniques, the timing, all of it, right? There is a lot of support all around you guys. So my rounded up answer is, you know, these are amazing times and you guys, without realizing, or maybe you do realize it, but you have a lot riding on your shoulder to take this game forward.
So it's one of those times where you are actually going to give back to the game in your own way. A lot of what the game has given you as well. So stay with the game, enjoy the game. And we are really here to support you guys as you go through this journey. And if we can play a little part in your journey, we'll be privileged.
Ashwath: Thank you. So just to finish up, do you have any last pieces of advice for kids in the U S who were watching cricket, who want to start playing cricket or kids who are 16, 17, or even 20, 25 who are playing cricket? You have any advice for the athletes in America?
Coach Arpit: I would actually, maybe, if that's okay, I would ask you, Ashwath, why don't you tell us a little bit about what the game meant for you, and when you started, you certainly started not necessarily knowing exactly where you are with the game today, right?
So why don't you maybe tell us a little bit about that part?
Ashwath: I think the main thing I've learned is just tick with it and to believe there is a process that is happening, even though it might not be clear necessarily 100 percent of the time, just sticking with it, especially if it's something that you love, if it's something that you're very passionate about, knowing and believing there will be a future eventually.
Now it's becoming more clear with USA and the World Cup and all that, and Major League Cricket and all new international players coming into America to play cricket here. So I think it's just about sticking to the process and believing there is a future for cricket in America.
Coach Arpit: Yeah.
Ashwath: Yeah.
Coach Arpit: And, uh, you know, I will answer your question, taking cues from your answer and also having seen you, right?
I remember this one evening very distinctly, Bumrah had just become the thing in IPL, right? And, uh, you had picked up his action and, um, I don't know if you still do it, but, uh, It was one of those moments where you were like, you know what, look, dude, Bhoomra nailed, you know, I can do it. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, I can do his action too.
So in, in those moments where the game wasn't anything more than just having fun is really when the game is most real for all of us, right? Because you don't do it for anybody else, you do it for you, you know, so my only piece of advice is that, you know, find that unique answer for you is when it comes to cricket, you know, what joy it gives you, which I'm sure it gives you plenty, as long as you find that answer and it doesn't involve you winning or you losing.
And it just involves you playing. I think you found your answer and until then, keep looking. And once you find your answer, like I remind you, stay with the game.
It's an amazing game. It's going to give you a lot in life.
Ashwath: Coach Arpit, thank you so much for sharing your journey, your insights, and your experiences.
Making cricket happen and respecting the game for so many things it gives us are just a couple of the takeaways. There were so many more you shared today. Thank you again for taking the time today to speak to me.
Coach Arpit: Thank you. Thank you, Ashwath.
