I didn’t grow up loving cricket. But six years ago, I became a big fan of the world’s second most popular sport.
And for that, I have my father to thank.
The upcoming ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup is happening throughout June in the West Indies and in the United States, with several matches in New York.
I’ve been to one match already, and hope to see more.
Here’s why, later in life, I became a cricket convert.
My dad, Daydatt Kaulessar, immigrated from Guyana to the United States in February 1969 at the age of 19.
He left behind a challenging childhood where he had to balance farm chores and schoolwork with moments to indulge his love of cricket in his spare time.
He would play pickup matches with his friends and see star players for the West Indies National Team in action, like fellow Guyanese Rohan Kanhai along with Garfield Sobers and Lance Gibbs at the Bourda Cricket Ground in the capital of Georgetown.
Growing up in our Jersey City home, I didn’t hear much about his affection for cricket except when he was in a good mood after a few drinks while entertaining company. And even then, it wasn’t enough to interest me in developing the same love that he did.
Like many father-son relationships, ours can be strained. There are times of joy — my father is a great cook and a first-class mechanic and has a wonderful singing voice. But there are also moments of conflict.
And so, perhaps I was being defiant when, instead of cricket, I embraced another pastime that featured a bat and ball: baseball.
I became a fan of the New York Yankees in 1984 when I was 12. I looked up to their stars, Don Mattingly and Dave Winfield. My fandom grew further the next year when my dad surprisingly took me and my two sisters to the old Yankees Stadium to see my beloved Bronx Bombers in person.
Even so, I couldn’t completely avoid the existence of cricket in my life.
My father’s younger brothers, Jeff and Benie, were part of a cricket club that formed in my hometown. The way I saw it, it existed not so much to grow the presence of the sport in the urban landscape but as an excuse for players to hang out with their buddies.
In April 2002, when I was 30, my dad and I traveled to Guyana for our first time in nearly 25 years. I was six years old the last time we went. It was my first time attending a live cricket match, which was played in the traditional five-day format.
I did not return after the first two days. The all-day play got tedious. I did, however, pick up some knowledge about the basics of cricket.
In the following years, cricket would broadcast more on cable in the United States, and my father got to watch his favorite sport more frequently.
But not at home. He could only watch when visiting his Guyanese friends and seeing matches on their TVs.
At home, part of the cable package, which I paid for, did not include cricket. And since I didn’t love the sport as much as he did — and let’s face it, because I was being obstinate — I adopted the stance of “if you want it, you pay for it.”
My intransigence frustrated him for some time until the summer of 2018.
One day, I returned from work and found that he had found a way to watch cricket at home.
He swapped out the cable provider.
I could have been resentful and indignant at my dad for making a move without consulting me first. But it dawned on me quickly that he was now paying the cable bill, saving me over $1,000 a year.
An added bonus? Suddenly, by watching cricket matches together, we were now spending more time with each other than ever.
We both became fans of the Indian national team as most of their matches were the ones showing on the cricket channel Willow TV.
It’s not hard to be a loyal follower of a powerhouse side that boasts some of the most dominant players in the sport, such as superstar batsmen Virat Kohli and his teammates, including Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja.
We would spend many overnight hours viewing India versus other longtime rivals like England, Australia, Pakistan, and the West Indies. We would rejoice over a well-played shot landing in the stands for six runs or express disgust when someone made out unnecessarily.
Now, after seeing many matches, I have also begun to learn more about the finer points of cricket.
The knowledge is serving me well when I have been writing about the T20 Cricket World Cup and when I hopefully will view some of the matches live at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island this month.
And all of this is because my father never lost his love of the game of cricket and — in one of those moments of conflict that turned to joy — he swapped out our cable.
Thank you, Dad.
Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter: @ricardokaul
