How to Become a Cricketer? Tips to Start Your Career as a Cricketer

Many children dream of becoming a cricketer and playing for India. But becoming a cricketer is not a bed of roses. The first instance of a cricket game was recorded in 1611. Today it is one of the most famous sports in the world, next to football. 

The first official test match was played in 1877 between Australia and England. Australia won the match. Since then, cricket has undergone many revolutions. Currently, there are three formats of cricket – Tests, One Day, and T20 matches. 1983 was a major year for Indian cricket. With India’s first world cup win, the craze for the game rose. India is the host of the world’s biggest T20 league. The IPL media rights for 2023-27 were announced at Rs 48,390 crores, making it the second-biggest league in the world. This shows the immense craze for cricket in India.  

This article will discuss how to become a good cricketer and some renowned cricket academies in India.  

Requirements on How to Become an Indian Cricketer 

Age Eligibility 

• The candidate should be a minimum of 15 years to play international or domestic-level cricket. 
• The board can allow a player below 15 years under special circumstances. Hasan Raza (Pakistan) is the youngest player to make his test debut at 14 years and 227 days. 

Physical Fitness 

• Physical fitness plays an important role in how to become a good cricketer. The game requires that the player is physically fit to play under different conditions.
• To start practicing, the player should clear the required physical fitness tests like running and basic exercises. To play any format of the game, they need to be physically fit.

Basic Cricketing Knowledge 

• Understanding all the rules of cricket is essential for someone looking to become a good cricketer. Without it, the candidate would never understand the game and could never be a part of it. 

Skills Required to Become a Cricketer 

The candidate must choose to be a batter, bowler, or wicketkeeper. Based on it, the skills are decided.   

Technical Skills 

• A batter needs to work on different batting techniques. They need to determine the length of the ball and should have great reflexes. They must work on good hand-eye coordination to study the ball and flexibility. 
• A bowler need to work on different bowling styles. If the bowler wants to be a spinner, they must practice on different spins like leg and off spin. 
• If a bowler wants to be a pacer, they need to practice on in-swing, out-swing, and yorkers. The bowler should concentrate on the line and length of the bowling. 
• A keeper needs to work on managing behind the stumps. They should have high reflexes for stumping and catching the balls. 

Physical Skills 

• If you are looking at how to become a cricketer, having good physical skills is a crucial part of it. 
• They should have excellent cardiovascular fitness and the best accuracy across short distances. 
• They should have an excellent core body and upper body strength. They should have proper weight to endure the physical strain of the game. 

Mental Skills 

• The player should have high concentration skills. They should be able to handle pressure in crunch situations. 

Communication Skills 

• Communication skills are important when you are playing with a team. You must coordinate with the players to win the match against the opponent.  
• The players should have good communication skills to help them understand other players on the team. 

Also Read: National game of India – Cricket, Hockey or Kabaddi?

Steps to Becoming a Cricketer in India 

Joining a Cricket Academy 

• Joining a cricket academy is the first step how to start a career in cricket. This would help the player to sharpen their skills while improving their physical and mental skills. 

Participating in Domestic Tournaments 

• The path to international cricket is not easy. Players must play various tournaments to increase their game level and get noticed. 
• Playing in city/town, district, state, and national level tournaments would help the player to get to the international circuit. They should play in as many tournaments as possible. 

Getting Selected for State-Level Tournaments 

• Someone looking at how to become a cricketer at the age of 17 should concentrate on getting selected for state-level tournaments. These tournaments would help them realize their strengths and weakness. 
• Several selectors look at these tournaments. This could be a good launch pad to start a cricketing career. 

Playing in IPL and other Professional Leagues 

• Nowadays, with the meteoric rise of IPL, getting a chance to play in the league is a golden ticket to start your international career. If you do exceptionally well in it, the selectors can give you a chance. 

• There are other professional leagues in India where you can play to get noticed.  

How to Become a Woman Cricketer in India 

Women’s Cricket in India 

The Indian Women’s cricket team debuted in 1976, playing their first test against West Indies. They made their ODI debut in 1978 and T20I debut in 2006 against England. The current captain of the Indian Women’s cricket team is Harmanpreet Kaur.  

Opportunities for Women in Cricket 

• With the rise of several international leagues worldwide, like WBBL, The Hundred, and WPL, women’s cricket is getting a lot of attention. 
• Young girls all over can now dream of representing India by starting their careers in domestic leagues and playing for different international companies. 

Challenges Faced by Women in Cricket 

• Apart from global leagues, international women’s cricket is limited. Few countries play the maximum amount of cricket. 
• With a huge talent pool, India needs to organize more international tournaments so that our Indian women players can get more exposure. 

Steps to Becoming a Professional Female Cricketer in India 

• Join a professional cricket academy. 
• Work on your fitness. 
• Participate in domestic and state-level tournaments. 
• Play in international professional leagues and WPL. 

Renowned Cricket Academies in India 

National Cricket Academy (NCA) 

• The NCA is situated in Bengaluru. BCCI governs it.  
• The Academy has professional coaches and cricketing experts who groom young players to join the cricket team. They have the latest machines and equipment for training. 

MRF Pace Foundation 

• The MRF Pace Foundation is in Chennai and is headed by Australian legend Glen McGrath. 
• MRF teamed up with Denis Lillie to produce world-class fast bowlers for India. It has produced over 20 fast bowlers for India, like Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Khan, and RP Singh. 

Sehwag Cricket Academy  

• Virender Sehwag established Sehwag cricket academy to provide the best cricket training and produce quality players for India. 
• The Academy is in Delhi and Jammu. With advanced infrastructure, the Academy coaches children from 6 to 18. 

Rajasthan Cricket Academy 

• The RCA is considered one of the best cricket academies in India.  
• The Academy is in Jaipur. It has all advanced equipment, boarding facilities, and advanced practice methods with expert coaches. 

KIOC Cricket Academy 

• The Karnataka Institute of Cricket Academy is in Bengaluru. He has completed Level I, II, and III coaching training in different countries.  
• The Academy provides equal opportunities to boys and girls with great exposure to training. Players like Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, and Veda Krishnamurthy started their careers here. 

Salary of a Cricketer in India 

After looking at how to become a cricketer, let’s look at the Indian cricket team’s salary grade 2022. 

Domestic Cricketer’s Salary  

• The players of U-19 get Rs 20,000 per match.  
• The players of U-23 get Rs 25,000 per match. 
• The senior players in domestic leagues, like Ranji and Duleep trophies, get Rs 60,000 per match. 
• The senior women’s players get Rs 20,000 per match. 

International Cricketer’s Salary 

• The men’s cricket team has four grades. 
• Grade A+ gets 7 crores per annum. 
• Grade A gets 5 crores per annum. 
• Grade B gets 3 crores per annum. 
• Grade C gets 1 crore per annum. 
• The Women’s cricket team has three grades. 
• Grade A gets 50 lakhs per annum. 
• Grade B gets 30 lakhs per annum. 
• Grade C gets 10 lakhs per annum. 

Key Takeaways 

Being a cricketer is not an easy task. To become a cricket player, a candidate must face many challenges. They must undergo training at good academies and play in several domestic and international leagues to prove their talent. And they should be physically and mentally fit. The Indian team should display fine talent in batting, bowling, or keeping. So, this is how to become a good cricketer. 

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