Dubai’s Chirag Suri has already proved dreams can come true at the Red Bull Campus Cricket finals after his performances helped catch the eye of IPL’s Gujarat Lions.
The UAE batsman has played in three editions of the Red Bull Campus Cricket – an important stepping stone on his wat to featuring in the globe’s premier Twenty20 tournament last year.
Speaking exclusively to Sport 360 ahead of Thursday’s qualifiers, Suri admits it’s been a dream of his to play in the professional game. “It’s been a real journey,” he said. “I’ve been in the UAE for about 14 years and when I arrived here from India I was already passionate about cricket, and I’ve been able to work my way up to the UAE senior team and also break into the IPL”.
“I’ve been able to do it through hard work, you never know what to expect when you’re looking to become a cricketer, it’s not a normal job, you don’t move up the ranks by being a manager then CEO, it’s something that has to happen naturally. I’ve had some ups and downs but I’ve been lucky enough to have more ups than downs so it’s been good to me so far”.
Suri was just six years old when his father introduced him to the game, which even at a young age, he knew he wanted to make his full-time career. He believes his success was helped immensely by playing in a tournament, which supports amateur cricket at a high level. “Red Bull Campus Cricket is a very good platform for kids because there is very few tournaments which support cricket in the UAE, especially at such a high level. What the tournament does is allow you to get great experience playing abroad as we’ve played in finals in India and Sri Lanka”.
He continued, “A lot of people follow their passion without ever being able to make it a full-time job so I’m very thankful that now I’m playing in the IPL I can say I’m doing it full-time. It’s a very proud feeling for me”.
Representing current champions Heriot Watt University; Suri has been able to adapt his game from an amateur into a professional by working on his decision-making. “As a cricketer you can hit a cut shot, a drive or a six anytime you want, you’ve got to choose the right shot at the right time”, he’s learned. “You have to be confident and back yourself with your decisions; you have to practise hard enough to know that you can do it in a game situation. The more you practise each different shot the easier it’ll become, so when faced with a match situation you’ll just do it naturally in a game without thinking”.
Universities competing in Red Bull Campus Cricket:
Heriot-Watt University
American University of Sharjah
Birla institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS PILANI)
Amity University
Manipal University
Skyline University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Emirates Aviation College
University of Wollongong
Middlesex University
Qualifiers: April 12th
Quarter-finals: April 13th
Semi-finals & Finals: April 14th
Location: Eden Gardens Ajman
