Neel Patel (South Alabama) – a Player to Watch at the Nationals !
Neel Patel (South Alabama Jaguars)
The University of South Alabama Jaguars, like most American College Cricket clubs, really got going as a sports club because of a passionate student-leader who wanted to give back something to the game he loved, working with the guidance & motivation of American College Cricket. So it was Nikilkumar ‘Neel’ Patel began an official team in 2012 to compete in American College Cricket, and create a legacy. As Neel tells it,
“After coming here for studies I learnt about American college Cricket through Facebook. Researching more about American College Cricket and the Platform it provided got me excited. This lead to the formation of the Jaguars Cricket Club from being just an organization on campus.”
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Neel took managed the significant logistics as the Jaguars prepared for, and travelled to the 2012 South East Regionals and the National Championship in Florida. Then for the 2013 Regionals, they traveled to Dallas, Texas for the South West Regionals. Each time, under the leadership of Neel, they performed better and made the Semis at the South West Championship.
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We asked Neel, a Mechanical Engineering undergrad, what he thought was responsible for that success ?
“As the captain of the team I wanted to set a good example for my team members. With my passion and motivation for cricket I committed my self to numerous practices and dedicated my leisure time to improve my skills. We as a team are learning from our prior experiences while practicing as often as possible. With that, we hope to function better.”
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The 5′ 9 inches 170 lbs Neel took 11 wickets in 2013 and describes himself as “a bowling all-rounder who bowls right arm medium and a right hand batsman. I have been playing organized cricket since I was 12 years old and represented my high school at the regional level in India. I am very excited about the upcoming national championship because it is my last semester at South Alabama and I want to help the Jaguars succeed, and leave a legacy of representing the University of South Alabama well.”
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Q – American College Cricket has created a new platform for cricket in the world – and you have contributed to that. What can other students do, in addition to playing, to the movement ?
“They can share the articles and events on the social media and promote American College Cricket in every possible way. Its so easy to do.”
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Q – Who are your favorite cricketers ? “AB De Villiers, Suresh Raina, Mike Hussy, Dale Steyn and Rahul Dravid.”
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Q – What else do you enjoy doing, other than playing cricket ? “Playing soccer, Xbox and socializing with friends.”
Q- We’re big Rod Stewart fans, what music do you listen to ?- I listen to Sonu Nigam, Shakira and Akon.”
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Satya Nadella, the new Microsoft CEO said,”I think playing cricket has taught me more about working in teams and leadership that has stayed with me throughout my career “. What do you think of his statement ?
“I believe that his statement is very accurate as I myself have had a similar experience whilst leading the college team.”
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“Words can’t express my appreciation for American College Cricket and what it has done to give cricket a place, though small, on the college sports scene in America. Before coming to the States I never imagined that I would play for my college.”
