Nosthush — living the dream
The left-arm spinner, who has roots in India, will play for USA in the ICC Men’s World Cup scheduled to begin on June 1; in 2015, he took a life-altering decision to move to the land of opportunities where everything clicked into gear
Like most children, Kenjige Nosthush dreamt of playing for the Indian cricket team. That goal may not have materialised, but in a welcome twist of fate, Nosthush is on the verge of accomplishing the next best thing.
These are exciting times for the left-arm spinner, who will compete for the United States of America (USA) national team in the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup. And with it comes the chance to bowl to the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma et al. in USA’s group stage clash against India at New York on June 12.
When Nosthush terms this a “home” game, the obvious question arises. He may have strong roots in India, but Nosthush now considers his adopted nation, USA, as home.
Nosthush’s parents are coee growers in Chikkamagaluru. He did his middle and high school in The Lawrence School, Lovedale, in Udhagamandalam. He caught the eye of The Lawrence School, Lovedale coach Irfan Sait, who is the Director of Karnataka Institute of Cricket (KIOC) in Bengaluru.
“Twice a year — during my vacations in summer and December — Irfan sir and my parents ensured that I came to Bangalore and trained at KIOC. I stayed as a paying guest in Bangalore, and went back to school when my cricket was done,” Nosthush, who is currently training at KIOC here, said.
After completing his 10th standard, Nosthush moved to Bengaluru. He took to cricket seriously, and moved up the ranks to represent Modern CC, Swastic Union and Jawans CC in the KSCA rst division league.
In 2015, Nosthush took a life-altering decision. He had given the sport everything he had, but he could not quite make it to the highest grade in India. With a Masters degree from Dayananda Sagar Institutions, Nosthush moved to the USA with a dream of starting over.
His cricket days were behind him, or so he thought. “I thought I was done with cricket. I went to the USA to work for a couple of years,” Nosthush said, “But cricket took me back.”
Nosthush was called to play for a cricket club in the New York area. He caught the bug, and immersed himself in the sport all over again. Within a couple of years, he made it to the USA national team. This came after good showings in selection trials held across the country.
Nosthush, however, fell short of the eligibility criteria set to represent the country. He had lived in the USA for about 18 months, when three years was the requirement.
Nosthush made use of a rule which stated that this shortcoming can be waived o if he spent 800 hours coaching kids. Nosthush took the opportunity gladly.
“I realised that it was not wise to wait for the three-year criteria when this option was available. So I trained in the mornings, and then spent time coaching kids,” Nosthush said.
After nishing his community service, Nosthush made his international debut against Uganda in 2017. The series did not go well for Nosthush and his mates, which meant he had wait a little over six months to get back to action.
In this new cycle, USA did wonders in the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 to gain One Day International status in 2019. This paved the way for USA to gain automatic entry to the T20 World Cup by virtue of being the co-host.
To play in the world’s most prestigious cricket tournament, with millions of viewers, is a dream come true for Nosthush.
Bowling to international superstars in not an entirely new experience for the Nosthush, as the 33-year-old has served as a Mumbai Indians net bowler in IPL 2024.
To dawn the national jersey, especially against India, is a dierent league altogether. “To play in a World Cup - it has not sunk in yet. This is a huge deal. Everyone wants to play in a World Cup. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play against India. I am best prepared as I can be,” Nosthush said.
Nosthush is condent that he can draw on the experience of playing for MI New York in the Major Cricket League (MLC), and for MI Emirates in the UAE International League T20.
At the World Cup, the USA is up against it, having been slotted with India and Pakistan in the same group. But for Nosthush, nothing is impossible. “The key for me is to enjoy the entire experience of playing a World Cup. Yes, we are the underdogs, but we are good enough to pull o a few upsets,” Nosthush said.