Island School's cricketer Ravi Mulchandani finds inspiration in Sachin Tendulkar
17-year-old Head Boy talks to Young Post about balancing school and sporting life, and his hopes for the cricket scene in Hong Kong
Ravi is in his school team and the U19 Hong Kong National Cricket squad.Sometimes it all comes down to one pivotal moment. Like a lightening strike, everything becomes clear. For Island School student Ravi Mulchandani, that moment came when he was just five years old.
"I watched Sachin Tendulkar in the World Cup 2003 with my family," says Ravi, 17, "and I decided I wanted to play cricket."
The famed Indian cricketer had sparked an interest in Ravi that went beyond simply being a fan. He joined the Hong Kong Cricket Club soon after, and has been playing ever since.
Ravi now plays for the U19 Hong Kong National Cricket squad as well as his school team. He took his first cricket tour to Australia last year, and spent the past summer at Oxford's Cumnor Cricket Club, playing matches and training for four weeks.
But despite all his success, Ravi is reluctant to brag about his own accomplishments. "Cricket is a team game," he insists. "You can't do it without your teammates, your team manager and the coaches." But the off-spin bowler does admit that the first five wickets he ever took felt pretty good!
While personal success can be rewarding, Ravi says the best part of the sport is the success you find as a team. "My favourite thing about cricket is the interaction between your teammates - winning as a team and knowing we are all working together," he says.
When not playing for two competitive cricket teams, Ravi is also Head Boy at Island School and studying for his IB Diploma. But while that might seem like a heavy workload, Ravi doesn't seem to mind. "It is a pretty regular cycle of school, homework, cricket, dinner, sleep," he says. "As long as I don't procrastinate, I'm OK."
As Ravi looks towards university next year, he hopes to be able to keep up with the rising enthusiasm for cricket in Hong Kong, even if he studies abroad. "The Hong Kong side now has one-day international status, and the standard of cricket in Hong Kong has been improving since the formation of the Premier League four years ago," he says.
Ravi hopes to study in England, a perfect place for an aspiring pro - although he definitely means to come home. "I want to play at county level in England," he says, "and play for the Hong Kong national team against Australia."
Bench Notes
What song/movie title best describes you when you're playing your sport?
Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones
You can have any superpower you choose for 24 hours. What do you choose and how do you use this power?
The ability not to need sleep, so I can play more cricket!