‘I was so much in love with cricket I didn’t want to miss training or games, and as an international student it is really difficult to play, work and study. ‘Cricket here is definitely very tough and the standard is very high, so in order to maintain I have to train extra and do something more to get to the next level.’ MacGill himself has contacted several BBL clubs as an unofficial rep of Sunam – one of which Emerging Cricket can confirm was the franchise that has Gautam under their nose – the Adelaide Strikers. Playing in front of franchise coaches in two cities, Gautam’s biggest public endorsement has come from former Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill. I bowl, bat and I just love being in the field. ‘I am such a player who loves to engage in the field. Several coaches compare Sunam’s energy to that of another man that made a name for himself in Melbourne: Australian international Glenn Maxwell. A livewire itching for the ball to come to him, Gautam is stationed inside the ring on the balls of his feet. Unless you ran into Gautam on a Saturday morning with bags under his eyes, you wouldn’t know of his struggles by watching him in the field. It’s been tough, but that made me really strong.’

‘Sometimes when we play Saturday and Sunday I literally don’t get sleep from Friday night until Sunday evening. Instead, I worked night shifts on Friday night and in the morning I’d go straight to the ground after work,’ Gautam confesses. ‘I used to reject work and shifts for training and games, and when you cancel shifts they (bosses) don’t give you any shifts after that.

Flourishing for the Greenvale Kangaroos in Melbourne Grade Cricket before moving, Gautam was named in the Victorian Premier Cricket Firsts Team of the Year in 2018/19, finishing agonisingly short in the count for the coveted Jack Ryder Medal.Įarning high praise from coaches and peers, Gautam’s achievements are all the more remarkable considering he played after enduring sleepless nights working in the security industry.

Overcoming obstacles few of his teammates have faced to establish himself in premier grade cricket, Gautam, now based in Adelaide, boasts strong numbers in two cities. But I used to take those walks as part of my fitness.’ ‘I used to drag my kit bag ten kilometres because I didn’t have money for a ticket (for the bus). ‘There was a time I didn’t have one cent in my pocket, but my love and passion towards cricket kept me alive,’ Gautam admits.

Vic premier cricket