How to become a cricketer?

Almost all of us has dreamt about becoming a cricketer once in our life. Some pursue their dreams and become successful cricketers like Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, and more, while others fade away. The million-dollar question here is what separates successful cricketers from unsuccessful cricketers. Obviously, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but is that enough? We are trying to answer some questions like that in this piece, but that's not all; we have included several other essential things. Overall, we have brought an extensive guide that should answer most of your questions about becoming a cricketer.

What should I do to become a cricketer?

There is no right way or wrong way of becoming a cricketer, you need to follow a daily routine, work hard, believe in the process, and that's how you become a cricketer in India or any part of the world.

However, after analyzing the lives of some of the famous cricketers, we found out they all have things in common. They all followed a similar process to become what they wanted to become. In this section, we will talk about some of those things.

Analyze yourself

It is critical for you to have an in-depth knowledge of the situation and your abilities before starting your cricketing journey. Having the dream is fine, but it is not enough. The first and foremost step should be deciding what role you want to play? A batsman, bowler, wicket-keeper, or an all-rounder?

It will be relatively complex for you to choose; that's where coaches come in (we have talked about this in the next section). That said, most people want to follow their idols, so they base their choices on that; you can do the same and make a temporary choice based on what will you like to do more among bowling bouncers like Brett Lee, hitting cover drives like Virat Kohli, stumping like MS Dhoni, or bat and bowl like Ben Stokes.

Find a good cricket academy.

Selecting an excellent cricketing academy is a fundamental step in becoming a cricketer; after all, this is the place that will either make you or break you.

The main difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people are clear about their aim and are sure about how to reach their aim. In cricket, coaches are there to offer guidance throughout your journey. A good cricket academy and coach will help you turn your dream into reality by making sure you follow the right path.

There are numerous cricketing academies in India, including the SONNET cricket club in Delhi, the National Cricket Academy of India, and more. However, it is essential to note that they are not all worthy, so how do you choose a good cricket academy? The easiest way to do that is to search nearby academies on Google and find one that can accommodate all your needs. Try to find answers to the following questions while searching.

• History of the academy, including how many years of experience it has under the belt.
• History of the coaches working in the academy. How many years of experience do the coaches have? Is there any former cricketer to monitor your growth there?
• How many coaches are there? If the ratio between the number of students and the number of coaches is way too large, then chances are, the academy is not that good.
• What kind of pitches does the academy use? Does the academy have its ground or not?
• What is the alumni base of the cricketing academy? How many players from the club are playing for state-level or national-level teams? This might be the most important thing since getting selected into a national or state-level team is no child's play. So, if an academy has produced players in the past, it shows the prowess of the coaches working there.

You will find an answer to almost all of these questions on Google, so happy Googling if you have any other questions, post in the comment section below.

 But Pandemic makes things a little more complicated, but practice keeps going on… so you can try Feed Buddy to practice your shots.

Play some real tournaments

As discussed above, the fundamental step to becoming a cricketer includes practice, proper guidance, and more practice. Once you start training professionally at a cricket academy, the next step should be trying out your skills in real life. In other words, you need to participate in tournaments to test your abilities from time to time. The best you can do is get selected for your school or college cricket team and play matches.

Moreover, you can give trails for the district-level teams if you want to put yourself into a more competitive environment. These district-level teams offer more robust than your school or college cricket team.

Besides the things mentioned above, you also need to make sure you are using the best possible gear; you want your cricket shoes, cricket pads, cricket helmet, or bat to help you perform the best and not hinder your performance.

Also Read: Beast Mode- How modern cricket bats enabled power hitting?

Some FAQs on becoming a cricketer

In this section, we have tried answering most of the common questions that people usually ask.

How do I start a cricket career?

You might have heard the English phrase "Better late than never "; this is true in cricket too. You are never too late to start your cricketing journey. That said, the journey to becoming a cricketer starts very early nowadays. Most people enrol their kids in academies at a very young age when they are 6-7 years old. So, by the time they become adults, they have already put in years of extra effort, which in turn will make them better than anyone.

What qualifications do you need to be a cricketer?

You need no essential qualification to become a cricketer; you need to have the will to become a cricketer. You will find that different cricketers have pursued various qualifications in their life. For instance, VVS Laxman was pursuing MBBS before becoming a cricketer, Rahul Dravid was preparing to become a CA, and Anil Kumble holds a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering. All-in-all, there are no such eligibility criteria to become a cricketer.

Can I become a cricketer after the 12th?

Yes, you can become a cricketer after your 12th class. Many of India's finest cricketers focus entirely on cricket once they are done with schooling. This list includes big names like Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, etc.

Can I become a cricketer at the age of 18?

Yes, you can become a cricketer at the age of 18. You can even play for the Indian cricket team at that age. Sachin Tendulkar debuted at the age of 16, and by the time he was 18 years old, he was a regular in Indian Team. You will find that most of the players start showing signs of their talent at a very early age, and by the time they become adults or when they reach 18, they become professionals.

Also Read: How to take care of cricket shoes?

How can my child become a cricketer?

There is no definite way to become a cricketer but what we can say is you should start early as possible, so you have the edge over others. In the case of your children, you should enrol them in the academy as soon as possible, get them a gear as early as possible. Make sure your children follow a consistent routine every day. In any case, here are some things that you should do so that you are offering your children the best start to a cricketing career:

1. Make sure you are enrolling your children in a cricket academy under a good coach.
2. Make sure he regularly watches test matches, IPL matches, and other international matches after completing the study.
3. Keep him acquainted with the ever-changing rules of cricket.
4. Make sure he is motivated enough and doesn't give up.

The cricketing journey of your children starts at a very early age. Therefore, you as a parent have a huge role in your children becoming successful cricketers.

Lastly, you need to make sure that you are exploiting every possible way to arouse your children's interest in a natural way. Plus, such continuous support from parents helps create a positive impact on shaping their children's career.

What to do if I want to become a cricketer?

In a nutshell, you need to do the following things to become a successful cricketer.

1. Analyze yourself
2. Work on improving your skills
3. Find a good coach to train under
4. Play real tournaments alongside practice
5. Get proper cricket gear (cricket shoes, cricket legguard, batting gloves etc remember offline cricket stores looting you badly, so do the good bargain)
6. Set mini-goals

If you follow the above steps, chances are you will find yourself one step closer to fulfilling your dream.

How many years does it take to become a cricketer?

Nobody has an exact answer to this question; most professionals will tell you it takes years and years of hard work to become a cricketer. You will find that players start working at a very early age and continue doing that for the next many years, even after becoming a professional cricketer. Just take the example of Virat Kohli; he started his journey even before when he was 10 years old. His father enrolled him in a cricket academy at a very early age, and by the time he was 18, he had already become a sensation among the younger players. So, it took Virat about 8-9 years of hard work to become a part of the Under-19 team and 11-12 years to make it to the India national cricket team.

What is a cricket player's salary?

Here are some facts on how much an Indian cricketer earns in an entire year.

IN INDIA, the BCCI or Board of Cricket Council divides the players into four categories- A+, A, B, and C and rolls out contracts based on these categories. According to the new contracts, the players who fall under the A+ category earn about 7 crore INR per year. A grade players earn about 5 crore INR per year, B grade people make 3 crores INR, and C grade players earn 1 crore INR in a year.

Apart from their official BCCI contracts, Indian cricketers earn a hefty amount from IPL. In fact, they are a lot from the IPL. In the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli was the highest-paid player, earning around 17 crore INR, closely followed by Chris Morris with 16.5 crores.

In short, cricketers in India earn a lot; they are among the wealthiest people in India. So, just for the sake of money, don't jump in this game if you don't have the passion. If you can't Eat, Drink, Sleep cricket.

Note: All of the figures mentioned above are Indian Rupees, and they are for an entire year.

Is becoming a cricketer hard?

Bilkul hai Bhai per Dhoni and Sachin bhi yeh sochte to humein acche cricketer Kahan milte (definitely), Becoming a cricketer is extremely difficult because of the competition in this field. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and sacrifices to become a successful cricketer. It's considerably more difficult if you were born in India. Cricket is a religion in India, with fans obsessing over the team and its members. If you win, people treat you like a god; things get a bit difficult for you if you don't. So, choose your cricket bat and start practicing.

Is cricket a risky career?

Cricket has its own risk, just like any other career. For example, you might not get selected for higher levels even after performing good in matches. The same has happened with Wassim Jaffer, he used to score tons and tons of runs in the domestic tournaments, but he never got that many chances for the Indian national team. So, there will be instances when it will be difficult for you to understand where you are going wrong.

Also Read: Getting ready to play cricket?

We hope this piece answers most of your questions about "How to become a cricketer." From our experience, we could say that becoming a professional cricketer is not easy, but there is nothing as easy. You have to follow an inevitable process starting with analyzing yourself, finding a good cricket academy and coach, among other things. Alongside practicing daily, you need to discuss your strengths and weaknesses with your coach to strengthen yourself as a young cricketer either as an all rounder, batsman, bowler, or wicketkeeper. Eat Cricket, Drink Cricket, Play Cricket.

Last but not least, after making a career in cricket either in national team or international team and becoming a professional cricketer by playing test match, test series or 20-20, don't forget us :)