Cricket club president Ninad Patel has been stateside for nearly a year now after moving from India, and one thing has been troubling him greatly.

“After coming here, I felt like ‘Oh God, I cannot live without cricket anymore.’”

He may just get his chance.

Cricket, a sport that is widely beloved in places like India, Sri Lanka and England, will be found at Grand Valley State this fall.

After two failed attempts to start a cricket club in 2011 and 2014, the club is making real progress for the first time.

“In 2014 we came close to bringing it back up,” said faculty adviser Ram Ravikumar, who has been pushing for a cricket club since the first attempt in 2011. “We had four or five people, but at the time it was summer and interest level dropped. This time we started in winter, so a lot of people were still on campus and had the right timing to start it this year. The interest was constantly there between a lot of people, but the matter of just bringing it together was lacking.”

Several students expressed interest in starting the club this time around. Things picked up quickly once word was spread that the club was starting

While the intricacies of cricket seem daunting, Ravikumar stresses that anyone can participate and enjoy the unique sport. The practices have been laid back and are about having fun.

“Think of a laid back softball game on a Sunday afternoon, that’s how it’s going to be,” Ravikumar said. “Just hop onboard. If you don’t want to play, just come hang out with friends, see how it works, and you might like it.”

“By any means, come and join the club. There’s a place to play, meet people and have fun,” said chief financial officer Chetan Madagi.

The club has 15 members on the roster, and held its first practice the beginning of last month. The squad uses a baseball diamond as a makeshift cricket field, adjusting the rules to fit their situation and adding markers around the field.

“We had our first practice (June 5),” Ravikumar said. “I was excited because we’ve been talking about it and talking about it, but finally to see it happen — and to have representation from five different countries — that was very good to see that.”

GVSU’s club sports operate like a registered student organization (RSO). They must draft a constitution, get four officers, an advisor and an approval from OrgSync.

Although the club has fulfilled those requirements, it still has a hill to climb.

Club sports coordinator Eric Garvelink likes the direction they’re headed.

“Adding the cricket club to our program has helped bring a very popular global sport to our university,” Garvelink said. “The cricket club at GVSU offers students to engage and interact with others who have a different perspective than their own.”

While optimism is high, the club hasn’t been without its challenges.

“With cricket, a lot of people who play are from the Indian subcontinent,” Ravikumar said. “Most of the people who come from there are here for Masters degrees and are only here for two years, so the turnover is really fast. They come in, they settle into a role, and it’s time for them to move on. This is one of the things we talked about right away, and we knew this is how it would be.”

Patel wants people to know this is not just something for international students to partake in, but rather something new for everyone at GVSU to try.

“Sports bring all people together,” Patel said. “We don’t ask which country you’re from for playing cricket, we just say, ‘there’s a player, let’s play together and have fun.’ We get closer to everybody and get to know all about their culture. That’s the main thing.”

The club has yet to play in any games, and is sticking to a wait-and-see basis. The State Games of Michigan presented by Meijer held a cricket tournament in Byron Center late last month, but between the club having just begun and conflicting summer schedules, the club didn’t feel it was quite ready.

The club is planning on contacting the American College Cricket league about participation in its events.

“If there is a tournament this fall or an event with other Michigan colleges, GVSU will try to sign up,” Ravikumar said.

GVSU holds the Global Games event at the Padnos international Center twice a year, and acts as a showcase for sports found across the globe. The first Global Games event is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Kelly Family Sports Center. The cricket club is planning on being there.