Burnout threatens the rise of Indian cricket in Australia as families try to produce the 'next Sachin'

Eight years ago Melbourne's western region, including a slew of new suburbs, had 160 junior cricket teams, now there are 420.

The sport in Australia is booming as children of Indian and South Asian descent play at record levels.

They are passionate, but holding bats and balls in their hands presents a different challenge.

Burnout.

Some children get private lessons and some bowl 60 overs in a weekend playing in multiple teams.

The pressure to be the next Tendulkar or Khawaja can be enormous.

At the epicenter of the boom, cricket organizers say boys as young as 11 are already playing too much cricket by taking part in multiple matches every weekend.

“That's going to be a very big problem,” Western Region Junior Cricket Association (WRJCA) vice-president Vanessa Pereira said at 7:30 p.m.

“So it's a concern, we're going to look at a policy to try to educate. I think it's the parents that sometimes the quality is better.”

Burnout is common in many major sports for a variety of reasons, including overzealous parents and poor coaching, which reduces the fun.

“That's the biggest challenge for us: teaching parents that that's realistically the most important aspect of anything you do in life. And if you're not having fun, how long will your career last?” said Mrs. Pereira.

“Will you burn out at the age of 14, 15? My husband played until he was 54. Where does that player come from? We want to see kids playing through junior cricket, senior cricket and going and playing with their kids and playing with their grandchildren.

“We all do it for fun, we all want these kids to have fun and enjoy the game. And I think even when you talk to the Test cricketers and the special talents of the generation that are coming through, the first What they'll say is that if it's not fun, I don't do it.”

'Petri dish of junior cricket'

Municipalities are running out of grounds and competition organizers are running out of competition days during the week.

“We have run out of land in the Melton area and the council tells us it will be around 18 months before the next parcel of land and new estates comes on board,” says WRJCA chairman Chris Hatzistavrou.

“The breadth of talent that is out there at a very young age is astonishing.”

Representative player Prathan Chaudhary, 12, wants to wear the green and gold of Australia.

“When I hear the word cricket, I obviously get very excited,” he says.

His father Manish played semi-professionally in India before moving to Australia to study, work and raise a family.

Now he is a coach.

“They are very excited,” he says, watching his son compete.

“They love the sport. They want to be out there so the pressure is not there because most of the time I see them enjoying their cricket.”

When asked if he had to remind himself not to put pressure on his son, he replies: “Yes, so he just got out, I didn't say anything, I didn't even talk to him. Because I stepped on a golden duck. It's part of the process.”

Evolution of young cricketers

Mr Chaudhary says junior cricket is very different from the game he played as a boy in India.

“It's changing in the sense that kids as young as 11 or 12 have cricket brains,” he explains.

“They do these analyses, where I remember when I was 11, all I wanted to do was swing my bat. Now [the modern children are] wearing a helmet, wearing gloves and conversation techniques.

“It's really great.”

Cricket was not the first choice of sport for 12-year-old Arjun Mullapudi.

“My favorite sport was football,” he says. “Football was the love of my life until the 2021/22 cricket season and my dad has always loved cricket, he really wanted me to try it.”

Now his father is also his club coach.

Sri Mullapudi is delighted that his talented son is now playing his beloved sport.

“Cricket is probably as close to our hearts as anything else,” says Mr Mullapudi at 7.30pm.

“I almost begged him (Arjun) and had to drag him along to play cricket and I promised to coach him for the first few years, so I have been coaching him ever since.

“It's nerve-wracking, but I think it's just as exciting. Just watching him play, grow and how much he's improved.”

How pressure can take away the joy

Australian Under-19 captain Hasrat Gill has benefited from her parents' help without them putting undue pressure on her to perform.

“My parents were great,” she says.

“My father will support me no matter what, my mother will support me no matter what to play the game.

“They're never like, 'You have to play.' As long as I'm happy and doing what I want to do, they're happy too.

“I've seen it firsthand with other people I've played with who probably don't play anymore for that reason (burnout).

“They may be told they are great when they are young. They are a 'prodigy' and then suddenly they don't play anymore.

Australian T20 bowler Tanveer Sangha, 22, was never at risk of burnout as a junior player.

His talent to play at a higher level was spotted and nurtured at the age of 15 and his parents happily supported him to rise through the ranks.

“They just wanted me to play sports, like football in winter and cricket in summer,” says Sangha.

Sangha's advice to all cricket parents is to live in the moment.

“Let the children play,” he says.

“They are really focused on him being the very best and they put so much pressure on the kid that the passion almost comes out of the kid and he doesn't want to play cricket anymore. Or it could be the other way around.” , where it is all about studies and he concentrates only on studies and does not worry about cricket.

“I guess I'll just have to let the kid decide.”

Education is another pressure on talented cricketers, especially during their final years in high school.

Gill graduated from high school last year and postponed the first year of her university architecture degree.

“I know people who would stop playing cricket for a while to concentrate on their studies,” she says. “It's a difficult balance but I think the support is so important. I've been very lucky, I've had support from both school and cricket.”

Sangha also understands the balancing act between training and study for South Asian families with talented athletes.

“Once the HSC came I think the numbers dropped a bit because they wanted to focus more on studies but I think they are getting a bit better at that now and balancing it and also prioritizing cricket,” Sangha say.

“My father has always been fond of sports, but my mother still wanted me to focus on my studies and do really well there, because anything can happen, so you want to be safe and have a plan B.

“They were a bit more relaxed, which is helpful, and they didn't put a lot of pressure on doing difficult topics, so I think they gave me the right balance.

“There is enough time to study and perform well in HSC, and there is also enough time to train and perform well in cricket.”

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