Indian cricketer serves the Red Sox faithful
An intriguing tale from the USA of an expat from India who arrived six years ago and turned to one of the country’s homegrown sports – baseball.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
An intriguing tale from the USA of an expat from India who arrived six years ago and turned to one of the country’s homegrown sports – baseball.
When Amartya ''Marty" Ray, a cricketer from Calcutta, moved to Boston in 1998 to attend college, he didn't even know what a home run was. Today, at age 26, he is coordinator of fan and neighborhood services for the Red Sox.
"Growing up in India I knew baseball was a sport. 'I knew the Yankees were 'the best team. But I didn't even know what teams they played for. I didn't even know who the Red Sox were.
"The natural tendency was to compare it to cricket. 'My first thought was, 'This is odd. This is very odd.' The field has weird dimensions. The foul balls didn't make any sense to me. Then I thought, 'What's up with the gloves? They can't catch a ball with their bare hands?'"
Martin Williamson is executive editor of ESPNcricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa