Chetan Chauhan Opens Dreamcricket Batting Cages

Chetan Chauhan Opens Dreamcricket Batting Cages
by Dreamcricket USA
Sep 24, 2007

Dreamcricket Press Release

September 19, 2007
New Jersey, USA

Dreamcricket.com, USA's leading online destination for cricket, opened its first physical store and indoor practice nets on September 19th, 2007 in Hillsborough, New Jersey. An eager audience comprising players and representatives of the New Jersey cricket leagues witnessed the ceremonial opening of this one-of-a-kind cricket facility.

L to R: Kranthi Bayya, Chetan Chauhan and Mahender Bohra
Background: Shiv Kumar and Venu Palaparthi

Former Indian test cricketer, Chetan Chauhan, opened the store and faced the first ball in the nets. Twelve year old USA U-13 cricketer Rishi Patel bowled the first ball in his inimitable style. The facility's Bola Pro cricket bowling machine, the same one used at the Lord's, was then switched on by Ashish Malik of the Renegades Cricket Club.

Chetan lets one go as audience watches eagerly

As the speed of the bowling machine climbed from a gentle medium-pace to a fast bowler's 85 MPH, Chetan Chauhan demonstrated to the audience why he was always a difficult batsman to dislodge. His courage, his defence and his ability to get behind the line of the ball have not diminished in the last two decades.

Chetan Chauhan, who played 40 tests in the 1970s is best known for several century stands he shared with Sunil Gavaskar, the best of which was a record-breaking 213 at The Oval in 1979. A two-term Indian Member of Parliament, Mr. Chauhan is also the Chairman of Selectors of the Delhi and District Cricket Association.

Chetan Chauhan wishing Dreamcricket luck

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chauhan said, "I am impressed with Dreamcricket's focus on USA cricket and appreciate the company's efforts to develop a cricket facility here in USA that is on par with the best in the cricketing world. I have heard of the sport's growing popularity in USA and facilities such as this one will greatly help the development of the sport in USA."

Mr. Chauhan also praised the area's cricket leagues for nurturing the game in USA. He said he was supportive of greater interaction between USA and Indian cricket and expressed hope that Twenty20 cricket would greatly expand the reach of cricket in North America. "I think Twenty20 will revolutionize cricket and bring the sport in contact with newer audiences in countries like China, Japan, and USA," Chauhan told the audience.

Kranthi Bayya, CEO of Dreamcricket, thanked everyone present and recalled how Dreamcricket.com had grown from a basement operation to becoming a leading retailer of cricket equipment as well as the leading website for USA cricket. Ms. Bayya said "this is a proud moment for us at Dreamcricket. From the explosive growth of our online operation, we know first-hand that cricket is growing rapidly in USA. We know that American cricketers are world-class and with access to good equipment and practice facilities, they can compete with the best on the world stage. By adopting a brick and mortar strategy, we are putting money where our mouth is. We plan to open more such stores with indoor cricket cages across USA."

Venu Palaparthi, a Director of the company, said that in addition to creating indoor facilities, his company was looking to develop a natural turf cricket field in USA that is of the highest standard.

Dreamcricket is also close to finalizing several exciting alliances with global media firms and corporate giants to accelerate the popularity of Twenty-20 Cricket in mainstream USA, according to NT Shiv Kumar who is one of the strategic investors in the venture.

Kranthi Bayya, CEO of Dreamcricket

In closing, Ms. Bayya said that Dreamcricket was in advanced stages of developing an online community for USA cricketers. She thanked the area's leagues - the Cricket League of New Jersey, Millennium Cricket League, Garden State Cricket League, the New Jersey Cricket Association and the Junior NJ Cricket organization, and their constituent clubs for their continued support of Dreamcricket.

More Information:

For more information about cricket in USA and about Dreamcricket, please visit Dreamcricket.com

Click here for more information on Dreamcricket's evolution.

For the store, store hours and other details, visit The Pavilion

Click here for information about the batting cages in Hillsborough.