CHENNAI: India-born Canadian wicketkeeper-batter Shreyas Movva has revealed the difficulties in training in Canada. Weather in Canada is varied across different regions. However, during winter, most parts of the country experiences rain and snow, making it difficult to play cricket outdoors.
"For us, the summer is stars from May and ends by September or October. If you are lucky, you can play till the last week of October. After that, we go indoors. We just practise in the nets,” he said in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
But, practicing there may not help them prepare for situations in matches.
“That is very important for an individual to come up with daily routines. Like, if I go into a match situation, (I need to know) how I can win for the team. That is where we are not able to create that atmosphere. Obviously in the nets, I can improve fundamental things. But (the) situations, how to handle the pressure — these are all the things which we don't get to (do in) indoors,” he said.
Even the outdoor grounds are not up to the standard level. “Regarding the cricket there, it's really good. It's just that the grounds are not up to the mark, what international level is required or sub-international level, associate level required. Still we need turf(s) (to play) cricket back there. We just play on the mat wickets,” he said.
This is from Movva's observations in the province of Quebec, where he became the first from there to represent the senior men's Canada team.
Born in Davanagere, Movva played his cricket both in Davanagere and Bengaluru. “Once my engineering was done, I took a one-year break to give myself one more chance to play for the (Karnataka) state team.
I played for Zonals and Probables (Camp). In the meantime, I was thinking that education is one other part I can complete. It's my mom's dream. She has done a triple-degree. I was not good at studies but she used to tell me where there is a will there's a way. I just wanted to do it for her. In that one year break I gave my exam for English (IELTS) and applied for universities. Then I got accepted for Concordia University (in Montreal),” added the wicket-keeper batter.
Cricketer by day, software engineer by night
While he slogs it out in the ground under the sun during the day, Movva continues to work as a software engineer during the night. “Back then my company was allowing me to go and play, and also work at night. During 2023-2024, I used to sit a lot. The job helped me a lot. Otherwise, I would have thought about why I am not playing. That mindset is horrible for a player, but my job helped me not to concentrate on it. There is another part of life where you can concentrate.
When asked whether he would like to continue doing both, he simply replied, “Definitely I would love to do both after the World Cup.”
The North American country are set to face New Zealand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. Canada are in their second T20 World Cup, making its debut in the 2024 edition.
