Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma, inaugurated his cricket academy CricKingdom, in Milpitas, California at a grand event attended by a large number of cricket fans. The academy in the Bay area will be the first CricKingdom center in the United States and will operate in partnership with the US Cricket Store.  

CricKingdom founded by Rohit Sharma is the world’s first platform connecting cricket, players, coaches, students, academics, and facilities across the world. Currently it has over 40 centers operating across India, Singapore, and Japan with a center in Bangladesh, expected to open soon.   

Speaking at the event, co-founder, Chetan Suryavanshi, former captain of the Singapore National team,  said it was their dream since 2017 to create an ecosystem for players from different regions to have access to quality coaching and the best facility to practice and perform. “To develop well-rounded cricketers, we need a proper platform, coaching center, and schedule a lot of matches. We work to deliver all these,” he asserted.  

Responding to a question during the interaction session, Sharma said that he was a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar and that his favorite book was Sachin’s biography called ‘Making of the Cricketer.” 

“I have learned a lot from this book. It is the only book that I have read in full all through my life,” he said. 

Sharma advised the young players not to get frustrated with what happens on the field as well as before important matches. He shared that he used to isolate himself from others before important matches, as there was always so much happening that would impact his thoughts and affect his performance.

CricKingdom Team with Captain Rohit Sharma at the inauguration to th

 “When I was growing up I was so caught up with the match that I missed having fun in life outside cricket,” he said urging the youngsters to not make the same mistake.  “There will be so much criticism, a lot of eyeballs on you. You should not be dragged by these experiences as a teenager.”  

Sharma said that instead of focusing on every comment, a player should focus on his shortcomings and make an effort to improve.  “I focus on my failures and that's where I learn to become better,” he emphasized. 

In a response to a question about the pressure while playing against Pakistan, the Indian captain said, “I would look at individual players and not the country. These thoughts of playing against a specific country put unnecessary pressure on us.”  

US Cricket Store under the leadership of Deepak Kaundal, president, has been a fast-growing outlet for cricket gears in Bay area and has one of the finest indoor cricket lanes. As a result, its partnership with CricKingdom is being lauded as a boon to the aspiring cricketers in the region. 

The event was attended by state and township officials who offered their support for the game of cricket. Fremont Mayor Lily Mie, in her speech, was appreciative of the efforts in bringing quality coaching to the United States through the academy and assured all help from her office. 

Mayor Carmen Montano of Milpitas said, “We plan to have more grounds and provide a thriving ecosystem for our men and women to play cricket. We have a wonderful women's cricket team as well.” 

State Assembly member from the 24th District, Alex Lee, in his speech, acknowledged that the region had the most Asian American population which will benefit from the partnership as cricket is gaining attention and the required momentum to create the appropriate infrastructure is underway.  

The officials handed over their commendations and citations to the CricKingdom team to show their support.