16-year-old got tryout for
Canadian under-19 World Cup team
By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex
 |
| Shaurya Patel is one of Cricket Saskatoon’s elite junior players. |
When his family moved from India to Canada seven years ago, the 16-year-old wanted to continue in the sport he was passionate about. No matter where his family went, Patel found doors kept opening for him to continue in the sport.
“I started
playing like when I was three or four years old,” said Patel. “I moved to
Canada.
“My dad was
like there is an academy here (in Saskatoon), if you want to join. I am like,
“OK. I should.” I came here and met Harpartap (Harry) Sandhu my coach.
“He
supported me a lot, and I’m here now.”
Patel
joined Cricket Saskatoon’s junior program in 2023. When he signed up, Patel
didn’t know anyone, but he found he bonded with the existing group of players
and coaches quickly.
In
September of 2023, Patel found himself playing for the Meewasin Masters squad
that won the Saskatoon Junior Cricket League under-15 title. He found Masters
captain Aryan Patel to be one of his early backers and developed a fast friendship with him.
“Aryan
Patel supported me a lot,” said Shaurya Patel, who has trained a number of
times at the Indoor Training Centre on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds.
“He is the one who trusted me in battling, in bowling and in all things.
“When I got
a little older, I knew all the people. Lots of people came after I came.”
Patel said
he found a home with the cricket community in Saskatoon. Away from the game, he
said everyone treats each other well. When it comes to game time, Patel said
the focus turns to what needs to be done to succeed in the match.
“It is
amazing,” said Patel, who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs 128 pounds. “They all are
so thankful.
“I love
them like friends. Inside the ground when the match starts, we’re not friends.
We’re teammates.”
Sandhu, who
is the youth head coach for Cricket Saskatoon, has enjoyed coaching Patel since
the youngster came aboard. The field boss said Patel always wants to learn new
things and adapt to challenges. On top of wanting to learn new things, Sandhu
was impressed by the fact Patel hasn’t complained about any of the instructions
he has received from his coaches.
 |
| Shaurya Patel tried out for the Canadian under-19 World Cup team. |
“He played
a little bit of cricket on the streets here with his dad, and then his
grandfather was a cricketer, so cricket was in his genes. He is a quick learner.
The most important thing about Shaurya is he is a very like a hard-headed guy.
“Whenever
it requires for him to stay on the crease – crease means to stay on the wicket
– not to get out, he tries to stay as long as he can. He is a very competitive
guy in cricket.”
This past
May, Patel’s journey in cricket took a new exciting turn. Cricket Canada
announced he was a probable for the Canadian under-19 World Cup team and was to
attend a preparation camp in Vancouver. Patel almost couldn’t believe the news
when he was informed by Sandhu.
“I almost
cried then,” said Patel, who is a Grade 11 student at Centennial Collegiate. “I
am like, “You’re joking.”
“Then, he
showed me the things and all. I was just really happy. Then, I was selected
from B.C., so I went to Ontario to do my best in Ontario.
“It was
just amazing.”
Patel was
announced this past July as being on the shortlist of 32 players for the main
selection camp for the Canadian under-19 World Cup team in Toronto. Sandhu was
pleased with how Patel played during that journey, even with ultimately not
being able to make the Canadian under-19 World Cup team this time around.
“We took
him to Vancouver there were the Western Canadian tryouts were happening,” said
Sandhu. “He scored the highest runs there.
“From
there, he got selected and he (went) to Toronto where the big camp happened. He
kind of didn’t get the right chance there. He was supposed to bat one down,
which means when one batter gets out he needs to bat second.
“He only
got chance one, and he didn’t perform. It is still an excuse, but we were
hoping that he would get more chances when he went down east playing with the
other guys.”
Looking
back at the Ontario camp, Sandhu said the biggest adjustment Patel had to make
was seeing how fast the bowlers at that camp threw the ball.
 |
| Shaurya Patel enjoys the Cricket community in Saskatoon. |
“We don’t
get the proper run ups, especially with bowlers. When you get the bowlers who
are bowling about 135 to 138 kilometres per hour, that is a problem where our
kids can’t really compete at that level. It is not that they can’t.
“It is that
they haven’t practiced on those speeds yet.”
Sandhu
believes Patel would have a better chance to make the Canadian roster, if he
had more experience against bowlers who can throw the ball at elite speeds for
his age group.
“The only
issue is exposure,” said Sandhu. “Exposure to the extreme speeds, he doesn’t
have it here in Saskatoon.
“I think he
needs more competition now, and once he is getting into that level of
competition he is getting better, which I have seen so far. He is a very quick
learner, so he adapts so good at those things.”
Patel would
love to crack the roster of one of Cricket Canada’s national teams one day. He
added all the junior players he plays with and against inside the Cricket
Saskatoon junior program have those same aspirations too.
“It is not
only my dream,” said Patel. “All the people who play here it is their dream to
play for Canada.
“They do
their best to represent in Canada. That is what I am doing. I’ll do my best to
get on an actual Canadian team and play World Cup.”
Sandhu said
the sky was the limit for how far Patel could go in the sport. The veteran
coach said other doors may open in the future for his young player noting B.C.
Place in Vancouver is hosting a new indoor league in the Canada Super 60
tournament.
“We went
there this fall, and there was a big tournament happening,” said Sandhu. “They
pay you good money, if you represent any of those teams.
“If he is
playing good, there is a chance that there are many leagues coming up, and he
is going to compete. If he is going to compete and he is good, those teams they
are going to pay him hefty. They are going to pay him like 30,000 to 40,000
U.S. dollars per season.”
As for
Patel, he wants to play the sport for as long as he can.
 |
| Shaurya Patel aims to play cricket long into the future. |
“I want to play
this forever. I’ll try my best for that. If I get on Canada’s team or
something, then I will have to play forever.
“I’ll try
my best for that. All people here want to play forever. That is why they are
here.”
For more information about Cricket Saskatoon, feel free to check out their website at www.cricketsaskatoon.com.
