Qatar in Colour |
“I started playing at the age of five with my dad and
uncle, and I have been passionate about it ever since.”
So much so that when he arrived in Qatar, he decided
to set up a team, along with his friend Sandeep Kottary.
“We’d been playing soft ball cricket, and I said: ‘Let’s
play some real cricket.’ I got my cousin and a bunch of
friends together. There were fifteen of us.”
They entered three qualifiers and won them all. “We
thought, let’s have some fun. Then we thought, let’s make
history. We were the runners up in that tournament.
We were the underdog playing for the first time, but we
did really well,” he says. “We had nothing to lose, so we
enjoyed ourselves.”
Now, from that early success, the team has 48 members
from different countries. “The majority of people here
are Asians,” says Kumar. “We are Indians, Bangladeshis,
Pakistanis, and Sri Lankans.
“We are definitely building a community. The different
nationalities here interact, we celebrate everyone’s
independence day, we share food, we share our
experiences of the Middle East.”
T
o many, there is no more evocative sound than the
smack of willow on leather. From the village greens
of England to downtown Calcutta, cricket is a game
that unites all people. And so it proves in Qatar, where
the Warriors Cricket Club (WCC) is taking hold of the
cricket world and bringing together communities.
WCC is one of eight premier level cricket clubs in Qatar.
It was founded in 2014 by one of the most famous and
influential cricketers in Qatar’s history, Kushal Kumar,
and is currently ranked number one in Qatar.
Kumar says that cricket is in his blood. “Cricket is a
religion for any Indian,” he says. “It is the only game you
can play without spending much money – all you need
is a stick and a ball and a small table or chair to use as
stumps. If we see an empty parking lot, we play.
He says: “My favourite part of cricket personally is
leading the team. I love planning different strategies and
trying new things out in the field.”
One moment in 2017 defines the Warriors Cricket
Club, and it is worthy of a Hollywood movie. Kumar is
a modest man, but he beams with pride. “Our proudest
moment was when we went to South Africa to play in
the Cape Town Sixes. We were the underdogs and we
ended up winning. It was unbelievable when I saw all the
stars lining up, competing against us. Then we won the
championship. Lifting the winning trophy was amazing, a
milestone in our club’s history.”
Indeed, Kumar’s colleagues at Sidra Medicine were so
delighted at the team’s success that they made him a
huge cake to celebrate, featuring a photo of him holding
up the trophy.
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