PART 2—World Cup Players Series with Sid Kappa

TRANSCRIPT

Ashwath: You're listening to Between the Wickets.

Welcome to part two of a special edition of Between the Wickets. In this three part episode, we're exploring the world of U19 cricket with three talented players who represented the USA in the ICC U19 World Cup. In this episode, I'll be sitting down with Pranav, Sid, and Arya for three one on one conversations.

Today, I'll be talking to our second guest, Sid.

Sid, first, congratulations on representing the country in the ICCU19 World Cup. You can start by talking a little bit about your experiences throughout the whole process of being a part of the USA Under 19 team. 

Sid: Yeah, sure. Thanks for having me here. Yeah, it was a great experience to be a part of such a professional setup and to be representing the USA Under 19 team.

A thing to take into note was definitely the professional setup that they had. They had nets always set up for us. They would always bring us water. Everything we needed was already prepared for us, which is something that I haven't really experienced before. And on top of that, when we would go into the nets, we'd have net bowlers there.

So whenever our bowlers would get tired, we'd have people to help us practice. people to give us throwdowns and give us sidearms and make sure that we were ready for the games. And even on game days, they would have things always ready for us. And the level of preparation that we did prior to the games is something that I haven't personally experienced because coming into say like a club game, we'd maybe do light warmups for like 30 minutes and then just go right straight into the game.

Whereas coming into this, we would specifically like prepare our batting. And then once that's done, we have our fielding ready. And we're also making sure our whole bodies are properly warmed up with the right equipment, like theravans and all that kind of stuff is done. And in the end, we also still have time to relax after that.

I'd say that was like a big thing that we got to experience. 

Ashwath: I know between like world cup games, you guys had some time off. So what was it like during those break days? Were you continuing to like hit the nets? Did you have rest days? Were you doing fitness? I was Those like break days. 

Sid: Yeah, so we had a huge break between, I think it was India and Bangladesh game.

During that time, so we'd have practice like every other day. Actually, no, it was most days we went. But we were mostly in the hotel. We weren't allowed to really leave the area. So we kind of had to make do with that like little space that we had. So we'd do things like playing spike ball or just playing like cricket and fooling around with the guys.

I think it definitely helped us bond, because we were always together and we were always just being together. Other than that, it was just going to the stadium and practicing or wherever they had us set up for practice and train before the games. 

Ashwath: mean, obviously representing your country in a World Cup is a big deal.

I know you guys played like a lot of big international countries like India and Bangladesh and all that you've obviously seen on TV growing up. How was that experience? Did that feel a little weird or was it pretty normal to you? 

Sid: That was definitely a surreal feeling coming into the like world cup and seeing that as one thing But then actually going and experiencing it is a different thing When we saw a team like india warming up or bangladesh warming up, but then we kind of started to see Yeah, this is this is the real deal and you could just see it in the way that they were approaching things There was definitely a difference I think the biggest moment was before the Ireland game when we kind of like walked into the stadium and seeing like the whole setup and everything.

I think that was like the biggest moment. 

Ashwath: So I know in one of the break days you guys had a chance to meet the India coaching staff and one of the all time greats in VVS Lakshman. How was that experience and how did that go? 

Sid: Yeah, so we had a nice session. Where India was actually right next to us. So after that was done, we got to have a word with VVS.

It was a quick word because we kind of both had to go back, but he gave us good insights on our mental game and the way to approach things. And he was basically telling us that no matter who we are, where we're coming from, to just go out there and give your all and like, believe that you can do it for your country.

You're the best of the best. And go out there and Show why you're the best of the best.

Ashwath: Do you have like any interesting like experiences or anything when you were maybe playing India, Ireland, or any team where you like noticed something from the other team? Was there any experiences that you personally had like that? 

Sid: Yeah, I think the. Fielding levels that I saw from especially India and Bangladesh was something to take note of.

When I say fielding, it was very, very hard to even take a single, get a double, and even hitting boundaries was like definitely a struggle because they were Really making sure that every single run is, you really have to work for it. I think if we take learning from that and show like the amount of effort we put in the field, the energy that they had was surreal.

Like any team that they're playing, they show that energy and they have that intensity and discipline on the field. 

Ashwath: And then transitioning with a little bit more about you is obviously you are a top order batsman, and I know you've had so many good seasons with the bat, able to play long innings where like others kind of struggle.

How do you prepare for that, and how important do you think technique is in being able to play long innings and hold your wicket and put a price on your wicket? 

Sid: Technique, I would say it's important, but it's not the biggest thing. You can have a good technique, but you could still struggle to score runs.

So I think the biggest thing is just having that mindset to go out there and score runs and finding ways to score runs. So even if you don't have a great technique, if you like make it work, then that's just as good. I think the biggest part is your preparation. So if you're preparing, And you're training to, like, play for long periods of time, it'll happen in the game.

So, like, in the nets, if you go there and, like, you make sure that even if you're just playing 50 balls, in those 50 balls, you have that focus. And while you're scoring runs, I'm not getting out. So I'm still playing in innings where I'm not getting out and I'm still scoring runs is important. So that in the game, I don't go out there and make, like, a silly mistake when you're like in the 30s and 40s.

Because for me, a big thing was When I was in the 30s or if I was in like the 70s, I would make like a silly mistake which would end my innings. Like learning to focus and kind of like switching on and switching off between balls so that you can maintain it for a longer period is really important when you're building in innings.

Ashwath: So that focus you just talked about, like obviously it's important to practice a lot and hit a lot of balls, but how important do you think like the mental side of it, is there a way you prepare mentally or is it more of a in the moment I have to focus kind of thing for you? 

Sid: Yeah, mental is definitely like a huge aspect of it, something that I still am learning about and practicing.

When you're in the session, making sure that you're not just thinking about like skills, like, for example, I'm just practicing a cover drive, but rather thinking about if you are in the nets and have a sidearm session, for example, rather than just focusing on, Hey, I played a nice cut shot. I played a nice push up.

You think of it. And in that session that I just had, was I able to be in the present moment for every ball? Was I able to watch the ball every ball? What was like my process? Did I follow those things? So rather than thinking about outcome or like the skill that you're developing, also making sure that I'm practicing things like watching the ball and those things that'll help me 

Ashwath: So we talked about, you know, technical, more hitting balls. We talked about mental. One of the most important, I would say, aspects of being a good cricketer in general is also fitness. I know you're a really good runner. You have a really good yo yo score, which is obviously important for some selections. So how important do you think fitness is, and how does that play out?

Play a role into all of these, you know, like selections or even batting in general, when you're maybe tired after like batting in like 95, 97 degrees. How important do you think fitness is to being a good player? 

Sid: Yeah, I think fitness is probably one of the more important aspects without being fit, you won't be able to do anything that your body wants to do.

So for me, I joined track and field to help me with my running and help me stay fit and that gave me a base. To where, like, I have a routine where I can run consistently and make sure my fitness levels are up. Making sure that every other day if I'm getting my, like, miles in or if I'm working on my sprints or whether it's strength training, just having it all incorporated.

The way that it helps my cricket is, like you said, when it is hot outside, still being able to run those singles and doubles. Because say we're playing on a big ground where hitting boundaries is not that easy. We're going to have to force singles and doubles and my game is more built on taking those singles and doubles so having that fitness is definitely something that I need in order to build in innings and play longer and even lasting those like full 50 overs in both innings.

If you don't have a good fitness then maybe I can field for the 50 overs. But then when it comes to the batting innings, I lose focus. Or the other way around, I can bat my 50 overs, but when it comes to the fielding innings, I'm kind of tuned off and I'm not ready to field those 50 overs. 

Ashwath: So obviously, you know, you guys went to the U19 World Cup representing America on a global stage.

A couple months later we had the actual World Cup hosted here in the U. S. And then last year with Major League coming to the U. S. and the second edition happening this year. So like a lot of good things are happening for cricket in America right now. How do you view where cricket is in America right now?

And cricket is also in the Olympics in 2028. So how do you see cricket evolving from where it is right now in America?

Sid: Cricket in the U. S. is definitely on an upward trend. With all the stuff with MLC, our recent performances in the World Cup, a lot more attention is being put on cricket in the U. S. A. You're seeing a lot of now overseas guys wanting to come and play in the U. S., which is definitely going to help us.

Because now you see people like, for example, the likes of Sy or Yasir mixing in with people like Steve Smith, Rachan Ravindra, and plenty of other guys, which will in turn help our game as well. So I think USA cricket is going on like an upward trend. And you can even see with things like ESPN posting it and all these other channels, which usually do not support cricket as much, you can even see that they are bringing this to attention.

And you can see a lot of the local audiences seeing it more. 

Ashwath: Yeah, you talk about how Major League is really important. I know that's something now we try to strive for as like, you know, you're growing up. And there's also USA Cricket on the side. MLC is predominantly 20 over league and then USA Cricket also does play some 50 over games.

Obviously, you're preparing for both of them now. How is your preparation different in maybe preparing for a T20 game or a 50 over game? 

Sid: It's two pretty different styles of play. I think it more comes down to like the situation now. Now that I'm predominantly playing T20s, my style of play has definitely changed and I have to go out there and look to score at a much higher tempo than before.

So I've started developing new skills which I wouldn't have had before. Which can enable me to play that way. And I think that's also helped me in the 50 over format now, because I have more tools to go out there and strike at a higher tempo when needed in the 50 over format too. So I think it's more about playing the situations.

So like, for example, if in the T20, we're playing on tough conditions and we're only chasing, say 120. I could use those tools I have in the 50 overs to help me. And then say in the 50 overs we're playing on a flat track and we need to chase a high total. I can use the tools I have in the 20 over game. 

Ashwath: I know you put a lot of work into preparing for, you know, all these games that you have coming up.

And I also know that you do a lot of drills. Is there any drill that you found really helps you in a way that others really couldn't? And throw downs, you know, didn't? Is there any drill that you like find very comfortable to you? 

Sid: I couldn't really name you one drill. 

Ashwath: Then like, how do you think drills help you versus, you know, just getting sidearm or bowling machine?

Sid: Okay, yeah, actually in that sense, I'd say I play less bowlers and sidearm than I do underarms and drop downs and stuff like that. Because I think when you play the bowlers and sidearm, you can't really Train for the detail that you could train when you're doing a basic drill, like an underarm or a drop down.

Because for example, if I am playing my drives, I could get away with just like hitting the ball and not really focusing on those little details. But then when I am doing that underarm, I'm really focusing on things like, is my alignment good? Am I really getting my head to the ball? Am I contacting the ball underneath my eye?

So really like grooving that and making sure all these like small details are good. So that now when I do go. and play the sidearm and stuff, I can start focusing more on, like, the mental aspect of the game. I think I do a lot more of, like, the smaller drills, rather than going and playing boulders and stuff, which really helps me.

Ashwath: What advice do you have, having played the U19 World Cup, having put in all the work over all these years, what advice do you have to aspiring young cricketers who dream of playing in the World Cup or who are preparing for it right now? Do you have any advice for them? 

Sid: Yeah, I think one thing is just to, like, enjoy these moments.

Don't put pressure on yourself where it's not needed, even when you're going out for a selection game, or if it's representing the country. Just go and enjoy that moment, because if you enjoy it, you'll play your best. At least is what I think. If you're having fun, I think there's nothing stopping you and just like, be free, do what you've practiced and make sure you're training hard and training for all the situations that you'll get.

If you prepare in all aspects, then you'll be ready to go in the game and you can just enjoy it. 

Ashwath: Thank you so much for your time, Sid, and all the best in the future for your cricket. Thank you, 

Sid: Thank you, Ashwath.