JOIN US'We just love coming here'
The charming captain of the Kiwi cricket team has been playing cricket from a very young age, and aspires to keep winning and making his country proud. In the City recently to play a match, he spoke to Metrolife about his passion for the game and how the popularity of cricket has increased by leaps and bounds in the recent times.
Daniel started playing cricket at the age of 11. “I just followed my older brother. He used to play in the backyard a lot and that is what young boys do in New Zealand,” he informs. But did he ever want to pursue anything else? “Yes. I didn’t know that cricket will turn out to be a prominent part of my life. I went to school, studied well and thought I would go to the university someday,” he says.
Daniel informs that the popularity of the game is tremendous in India. “I think cricket has grown and become bigger and more popular. And a lot of it is because of India’s passion towards the game. It is great that it is so popular. It’s really good for the sport,” he says.
What is the response like back home? “New Zealand is a small country as compared to India but they are all avid cricket-watchers. They love following and watching it and they are desperate for us to go out and win some games. Once that happens, they are very happy,” he says. And does he follow any other game? “I follow baseball and watch it as much as possible,” he says. Does he play any other sport? “No. I am so busy with cricket that I play the game almost ten months a year. I used to play soccer when I was younger but not anymore,” he adds.
Daniel dreams of winning a trophy. “I would love to win a trophy for the country. That would be something,” he says. He also says he loves Test cricket a lot. “I used to love Test cricket as I grew up watching it. But I still love One Day and Twenty20 cricket,” he says.
Talk about India and he says that the country was quite an eye-opener at first. “Everything here is so different from what we know. But once you get used to it, then you love coming here,” he says. And the crowd? “It’s funny especially when you play in the IPL as they are supporting you because you play well,” he says. This being his second trip to Bangalore, he says that the City has changed a lot. “I think things have changed and since cricket is so popular here, it is difficult to be up and about. But we just love coming here,” he says.