USA Captain Monank Patel's Journey: From Gujarat U-19 with Bumrah to T20 World Cup
New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) – When USA skipper Monank Patel stepped onto the hallowed Wankhede Stadium turf a decade and a half ago as an impressionable U-19 cricketer from Gujarat, he had another gangly pace bowler with an unusual sling action alongside him – Jasprit Bumrah. Back then, little did Monank know that Bumrah would go on to become India's greatest ever all-format bowler.
Reminiscing Junior Cricket Days with Bumrah and Axar
Reminiscing the good old junior cricket days, Monank took a trip down memory lane when he dreamt of wearing the blue jersey, albeit for India. "Yeah, I have had great memories of playing with Axar (Patel) and Jasprit (Bumrah). I played my first year of Gujarat U-19 with Jasprit and before that I played my U-16s with Axar. We (Bumrah and him) were together for a good two years, two seasons, playing a lot of games for the Gujarat team," Monank told PTI as he gears up to play in next month's T20 World Cup in his country of birth.
He remembers that Bumrah was a cut above the rest even then. "We played both red-ball and white-ball cricket, and those were really special times. It was the early stage of my cricketing journey and even back then, the way we were playing, especially the way Jasprit was performing, we knew he had that X-factor and that he would definitely go on to do something great," Monank fondly recollects.
The Road to International Cricket: Challenges and Migration
But for Monank, the road to international cricket wasn't a bed of roses. He had actually contemplated quitting cricket when he decided to migrate permanently to the US in 2013, having already got his green card in 2010. "So, I have had a green card since 2010 and I decided after 2013, that I wanted to move to the US. My family was already planning to settle there. I tried staying there for a month or so, and then came back to India and after giving myself one last chance to play for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy. When I didn't get that opportunity, I decided to go back to the USA and settle there for good," he said.
Monank turned to the restaurant business, but his favourite delicacy remained cricket. "When I moved to the US, my vision and goal wasn't like, just play cricket. I wanted to start my own business," he said.
Surviving Financially in US Cricket
Cricket isn't even among the top-10 sports in the USA. For Monank, the journey from being a semi-amateur to a full-fledged professional was fraught with risks, primarily because of the uncertainty associated with the commercial viability of the sport. "In 2018, it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy for us to just survive financially by just playing cricket. So, we didn't have a busy schedule throughout the year when we used to play in 2018 or 2019. But later on, as soon as we started doing well and we got ODI status in 2020, everything, financially and also opportunity-wise, it got better. So, the first two, three years were a bit tough as a player, but we managed it really well," he said.
Monank says all these would not have taken place without the support of his family, which allowed him to pursue his dreams. "All credit goes to my family. Without their support, it's very tough to survive in the US. We got the ODI status in 2020, the opportunities which we got helped us as players and also benefited us financially. Everything just got better and better," he added.
Indo-Pak Bonhomie in the USA Team
In the USA team, Indo-Pak bonhomie still exists. The players of India and Pakistan might not be shaking hands on the field due to the prevailing hostile relationship between the cross-border neighbours. But when Monank steps onto the field along with Pakistan-origin Ali Khan and batter Shayan Jahangir, they have only one flag to play for – The Star-Spangled Banner.
"There's no Indian, no Pakistani when you represent the USA. Everyone is representing the country, and we have been playing since long and we are very close friends, very close teammates, and our goal is to make sure that we give our best and stay committed. They (Ali and Jahangir) are our teammates. There's no Indian, no Pakistani when it comes to cricket," he said.
Familiar Turf at Wankhede Stadium
For Monank, Wankhede Stadium pitch has a familiar feel to it as a lot of the Indian-origin players in the US team, including him and Saurabh Netravalkar, have played a number of games at the venue. "A lot of players have played here before, and I feel like we'll take this as a challenge, and when we are challenged, I think this team always performs well. There's a lot of expectations," said the skipper, who hit a half-century in a winning cause against Pakistan in the last edition.
Cricket as a Career in the US Now
Monank sounded extremely confident when asked if he would like to recommend cricket as a career option to a 15-year-old American citizen. "More than the kids, their parents know what's going on. If you research, the number of cricket academies have been increasing every year," he said, citing a different scenario than seven to eight years ago.
The money that Major League Cricket is pouring in does make cricket a viable career choice for the members of the diaspora. "Sharing dressing room with quality international players in the last 3 years in MLC has definitely helped us," concluded Monank, who indeed is living his great American Dream.
