By Ashish Namjoshi (Communications, Thunderbird Cricket Club)

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Fourteen spirited individuals from Thunderbird will embark on a journey to take on top college teams from different schools in the US at the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship from March 17th to 21st at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  This is the biggest collegiate cricket championship in the country which aspires to be comparable to other NCAA sports.

T-birds (as the Thunderbirds a popularly known as) will play against USC (University of Southern California), USF (University of South Florida), UM (University of Miami), and UWI (University of the West Indies) as part of the Southern conference in the league stage.

Founded in 1946, Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona is the first and oldest graduate management school in the World focused exclusively on Global Business. It is regarded as the world's leading institution in the education of global managers and has operations in the United States, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Russia, Central and South America, Singapore and China.

Ranked as the World’s number 1 Business School in International Business for the last 15 years by the likes of Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal etc, Thunderbird is dedicated to educating global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide.

The number 1 school in Global Management in the world + the presence of students from 76 different countries + the most diverse campus + the most inclusive student body + the most interactive cross-cultural environment = what do you get?

The global sport of cricket!

Yes, you read it right. The gentlemen’s’ game of cricket in Thunderbird has only risen in popularity over the years. Given the high percentage of overseas students on campus, the sport has spread like a virus and has infected all sport enthusiasts. No longer baseball on valium, cricket now sizzles as a global sport in its Twenty20 avatar.  A fact that is reflected in the sport's growing popularity nationwide in the US and also the popularity and buzz created by the Indian Premier League.

What does this mean for Thunderbird students? 
Playing Cricket on campus regularly? Yes.
Watching Cricket matches in the wee hours of the morning despite the paucity of time due to hectic schedules? Yes, again.
Playing in the Arizona Cricket League? Yes, sure.
Playing in a tournament with National and Global recognition? Hell Yeah!

The Thunderbird team consists of players from different backgrounds, but with a common goal, the desire and the passion to succeed. The tournament in Florida is a new beginning, a new opportunity. 14 Players, 1 mission! Team Thunderbird is ready to roll!

Thunderbird Cricket Team (T-birds)

The Thunderbird Cricket Team are supported by the Thunderbird Students Government, Thunderbird Finance Association, Thunderbird Consulting and Management Association and the Thunderbird Global Supply Chain Club.

Sudeep Misra (Captain)

Plays for AZ Cricket League and was selected for the USA South West Division team in 2009. Has played extensively in India at various levels. A left Arm Spinner and a good batsman.

Abhishek Sharma

The most famous and funniest company in Thunderbird history! In sports, everything takes a back seat as he gets the courage of a Mad Bull. Untamable passion for Sports and a great team player besides being a good batsman.

Aditya Bhagchandani

He has a huge passion for fielding and loves this team! He enjoys Cricket and smiles every single moment on the field. A very good batsman!

Ashish Namjoshi

Ashish our communications guy is a tall and dashing left-hand batsman, who can unsettle any attack. A die hard ‘Mumbai Indians’ Fanatic. A very handy medium pacer.

Devaarchit Harkauli

Kashmir, Mumbai, Indonesia have produced an amazing Wicket-Keeper - Batsman in DC, as he is popularly known. Leadership skills and constant strategy formulation keeps him serious…always!

Nimish Jalan

As a complete Cricketer, he is an excellent batsman, a good spinner and fielder and also acts as the back-up Wicket-Keeper for the team. He brings with him Sports (Cricket) Management experience from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Dubai and understands the nuances of the game very well.

Nitin Sahni

The McGrath of the team! Swing and control are his greatest strengths. On his day, he is unplayable.

Parth Bahuguna

The docile Delhiite packs a punch when he comes out to bat. He is directly come from Mexico from a course abroad to showcase his Cricket skills in Florida. A very good spinner too.

Phalgun Balasubramaniam

Vice-Captain of the team. Played for Tamil Nadu in India. One of the better all-rounders in the team. Plays for the AZ Cricket League and has represented AZ in the USA South West Division trials in Los Angeles.

Priyaranjan Parida

The researcher par-excellence. ‘Ranjan’ is a very hard worker and is always full of suggestions for the team. Has the thinking ability to do just about anything.

Rahul Bhosale

A good Batsman and a handy spinner. His passion for Cricket originated from the lanes of Mumbai and is still going strong in the deserts of Arizona.

Rishi Chaturvedi

This smiling assassin has got a lovely bowling action and a huge array of shorts including some special T-20 unorthodox ones.

Rohit Singla

Timing, hand eye co-ordination and the want to bat 24/7 makes him a tough opponent to control. A very handy medium pacer.

Saurabh Goyal

His cheerful attitude makes him a good team player. His sling-arm bowling action is hard to read. He is got a some confident drives too.