Two weeks ago, Ariel University’s cricketeer’s participated in a special tournament conducted by the Punjab Brothers and Sisters (Israel) as part of the community’s Guru Nanak Jayanthi celebration.
The Ariel Warriors is comprised of mainly international students including doctoral, post-doctoral and exchange scholars who have chosen to further their studies at Ariel University. Although there is no cricket pitch on campus, the students are currently using a basketball court that they have converted for their weekend practices.
“The players, both men and woman, are from primarily from India. The cricket pitch is a commonplace where most Indians meet. As cricket is a game that most of us grew up around it really is a connection to home as well as a great exercise and stress reliever,” said Vincent Joseph, one of the team members and originally from Kerala who is currently working towards his PhD in Chemistry at the university. “However, it is a challenge for us as all of our equipment must be imported from India and as students can be quite costly the registration and travel expenses, in addition to jersey’s and the needed items. It is a wonderful game and we do hope that more students, both Israelis born and not, will join us and get a taste of something very “home” to us.”