Cricket is going back to its roots.

The place where it all started for the Gavaskar’s and Wadekar’s is now up for grabs with the launch of Toyota University Cricket Championship with the intent of unearthing India’s next cricketing champions from the grassroots.

Having graduated from the University of Florida, Home of the Florida Gators (2006, 2008 NCAA Champions) College Football has now become an integral part of my life.

There is hardly a game I must have missed since graduating from Gator nation since 2008. Not that I understand American Football any better, which here in the States is just called Football.

Don’t ask me why?

But once you watch a game with 90,000 people, more than the technicalities, the encore of 90,000 chants shakes you to your core giving you the inner high. Although the game is played between a bunch of 20 year old kids, lasting merely 2 hours, the tail-gaiting before the game and the revelry after game make it an outing worth remembering for a long time.

Adding to that, you have your University memorabilia. Be it Hats, T-shirts, Mugs, Frying pans, Walking sticks, and Dog leashes. Basically the works. Giving you another means of connecting with your Alma mater anywhere you go outside in the world. I myself have met so many people nodding, walking, jogging, at times in trains, buses, in planes just striking up conversations because of my Gator cap or sweatshirt. You would be surprised how strong might be.

And always thought, when would India be able to embrace this change?  When would I be able to cheer for my college?

 When just yesterday while scrolling through my regular dose of NDTV saw the grand announcement of the Inaugural Toyota University Cricket Championship (UCC). An annual T20 tournament which would be played between Eight of the best Universities from the country.

With NDTV & Govt. of India’s HRD ministry at its helm in partnership with the other industry bigwigs like Toyota and Coca Cola, along with support from Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Association of Indian Universities (AIU), this effort be rest assured will see light of the day.

To top it all, Shahrukh Khan as the brand ambassador of the league, certainly gets the eyeballs rolling in terms of marketing.

An extension of the Rohinton Baria tournament which is losing its shine these last few year, the T20 format of the tournament plans to revive University Cricket providing the spectators plenty to cheer for.

It was due.

Due for something which in the long run would provide the bench strength for not only Indian Cricket which would very well be the pinnacle for most of these college kids, but even for other walks of life.

Coz, let’s be realistic only 11 players can play for the nation. But the sense of confidence that one would get winning a match, getting a 100 or taking 5 wickets which is not only witnessed by the 11 players on the field, but by throngs of students, spectators in a packed stadium would enable game’s growth in the real sense.

As Shahrukh Khan rightly said in the press conference, his happiest day as ambassador of this UCC would be if young people came up to him said that “He wants to become a Professional Sportsman”.

If India is pitted as the next big thing in the coming 25 years by TIME magazine, it is time its India’s youth reacts to the change.

Coz although on one hand, the world loves rooting for the Underdog, which in this case is India as a nation It really does not take time for the World to change their mind by calling the Underdog just a ‘Dog’.
Follow @Rugved14

Tweet