Best bat for gold

By Natalie Choy

The NTU players are keen to build on their success by winning the SUniG title for a fifth consecutive year. PHOTO: GARY KHOO

Gold or nothing.

The NTU cricket team is setting its eyes on a fifth title at this year’s Singapore University Games (SUniG).

“It’s either gold or we have lost,” said captain Singaram Venkatachalam, 22, a final-year student at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

The defending champions will not be satisfied with just a fourth straight championship. They want to win it in convincing fashion.

“Winning is a baseline, a culture we have built up over the years. We want our opponents to fear us,” said 23-year-old vice-captain Siddharth Karthikeyan.

Captain Singaram Venkatachalam emphasises the importance of team spirit. PHOTO: GARY KHOO

Team spirit

Their dominance stems from more than just the 12 hours of training clocked every week and the technical expertise from the handful of players that are also part of the national squad.

Ask Singaram what the team’s biggest asset is and ‘team spirit’ will be his response.

“Bonding is most important in any team sport,” he said. “It precedes individual skill.”

This team spirit was evident in the way they edged out National University of Singapore (NUS) in the Singapore Cricket Association Corporate League last year.

Fresh out of the summer break with a single training session prior to match day, NTU’s cricketers were up against an NUS team in better physical condition.

But the team upstaged NUS by a wafer-thin margin of four runs, which Siddharth described as “the football equivalent of scoring a goal in the 119th minute”.

The unexpected win was due to the team’s fighting spirit, which gave them the mental edge over NUS, said Singaram.

“It was a close fight, but we believed in our game and played as a team to achieve the victory,” he added.

Obstacles

Like any other sport, the road to victory has been littered with sacrifices and challenges.

The team needs a large training area, so it cannot share the Sports and Recreation Centre field with other sports teams. The players usually have sole access to the field only at 9pm.

Members often have dinners past 1am, and some even have classes in a few hours’ time.

The team trains twice a week, and Saturdays are reserved for matches or day camps in school.

Siddharth, a final-year student at the Nanyang Business School, currently shuttles between his semester-long internship with the L’Oréal Group and cricket trainings.

“It’s a lot of commitment. But since it is a sport I love, the passion makes it easier,” said Siddharth.

Returning the favour

The captains also stressed the importance of integrating new players into the team.

“We’re lucky to have seniors who still come back to guide the new players,” said Singaram. “Now we hope to do the same for the youngsters in the team.”

One such senior is alumnus player Dr Mustafa Hussain Kathawala, 27, who has represented NTU for seven SUniG seasons.

He joined the team in 2008 as a second-year student and played competitively throughout his undergraduate and PhD years at the School of Material Science and Engineering (MSE).

“Cricket opened a lot of doors for me. I met most of my close friends through cricket,” he said.

He implemented new changes when he was the team captain in his final year as an undergraduate student.

“I got us a cricket coach, held proper trials and put us through a vigorous training regime,” he said.

The training camps also played an important role in team-building.

The two to three full days of intensive training before each season coincided with the new batch of players coming in.

“It’s tough. But when you go through hardship as a team, you will bond over these challenges,” he explained.

“It builds chemistry on and off the field,” he added.

Beyond the game

The success achieved that year was the reason Dr Kathawala remained both as a player and a mentor.

“I want this success to continue and I want to keep this spirit alive,” he said.

Currently a research fellow at MSE, Dr Kathawala no longer competes in SUniG.

But he still plays for NTU in corporate leagues and remains close to the undergraduate team.

He shares his experiences with the new players and helps guide the team during tough matches.

“In NTU Cricket, it’s never seniors above everyone else. There are a lot of helping hands. We all want what’s best for the team.” Dr Kathawala said.

“We’re just a bunch of friends who really love the game.”

This age-old unity is what puts the spirited cricket team ahead of the rest of the field.