I worked with a baseball coach to improve my power-hitting game: Sanjay Krishnamurthi Premium

Sanjay Krishnamurthi discusses his cricket journey, from childhood inspiration to power-hitting success in international tournaments.

Sanjay Krishnamurthi got hooked to cricket after watching Dhoni’s Dashers lift the 2011 ODI World Cup in Mumbai. In a remarkable coincidence, Sanjay made his (T20) World Cup debut 15 years later at the same venue for the USA!

The Arizona-born batter had an interesting journey, growing up in Bengaluru before returning ‘home’ at the right time as professional cricket was growing in the US. At the ICC 2026 T20 World Cup, Sanjay showed glimpses of his potential with impressive knocks against India and Namibia.

In a chat with The Hindu, Sanjay retraces his steps and the road ahead. Excerpts:

Describe the experience of playing in the World Cup in India and that first match at the Wankhede?

It was very special because the 2011 World Cup was one of the big moments for me when I really took a liking to cricket. I was very young, but I was watching that on TV. So knowing that I was coming back to that same stadium — as you walk up to the dressing room, there’s a photo of the 2011 winning team — was special.

Also, there was a big build-up to that game because, once the fixtures came out sometime in November, I knew I’d be playing India at Wankhede. But when the moment came, it was, I’d say, even more special than I thought it would be. I didn’t feel like the nerves got to me. It still felt like another game of cricket, but when I was standing on the field, you know, during the national anthems and the beginning part of the innings, until I took the catch, I was very, very nervous. Like, what if the ball comes to me?