How Cricket Helped Karan Patel Become the First Indian-Origin Player in US Major League Baseball

Karan Patel has become the first Indian-origin player to make it to the US Major League Baseball (MLB) and he feels his cricketing background has actually helped him develop his baseball skills better.

His father, Kuldeep Patel, shifted to North Carolina to work at his uncle's restaurant in order to help his single mother about 35 years ago as a 16-year-old boy. He ended up playing international cricket for USA.

Karan, however, is pursuing a sport that is truer and more popular with the place he inhabits. Having played cricket and baseball for the major part of his life, Karan decided to pursue baseball as a career and was drafted by White Sox in the 2019 MLB draft.

Karan was a two-sport athlete who even represented USA in U-19 cricket in 2015 but has now found himself in baseball. The fact that he was a bowling all-rounder has helped him become a better pitcher in baseball and the high-arm action makes him a standout.

"It helps my arm slot and my ability to spin the ball," Patel told the USTA website. "And I mean, I got into better shape over the last two years. I just slowly figured out who I am and what kind of pitcher I was. Not doing stuff outside of what I can do."

"I used to split my weekends for the two sports. On Saturdays, I would play cricket and then go for baseball on Sundays. Baseball was always my first love but I also loved playing cricket. My dad was the selector for the USA national team when I was playing. Then things didn't happen for me. I see a bright future in baseball. But my dad never put any pressure on me," Karan told Times of India.

Karan also proudly spoke about how his selection in MLB has inspired the Indian-origin kids and shown them that they can excel in American sports too.

"It's very special for the Indian community here. Many kids are now starting to believe they can excel in American sports too. The senior players in the MLB are starting to know I am the first of Indian-origin to be amongst them and they are quite in awe," Karan said.

White Sox director also feels Karan's arm gives him an edge, "He's got a good arm. He's 90-94 [mph]. It's loose. It's easy."

However, Karan's cricketing connection does not end here. Both of his idols in fact belong to the cricketing world - his father and Umesh Yadav.

"Umesh bhai is a very good friend of dad. We were in the Caribbean to watch India play in 2006 when we first met Munaf bhai. He then introduced us to Ishant and Umesh bhai. Umesh bhai even came over last month to visit us and checked how I was going in my career."

"It wasn't that I had much of an issue about being accepted in baseball teams. I had a coach in my university teams. But for me, the journey of my dad and Umesh bhai are really inspiring. I keep talking to them to figure out how I can sustain in top level sport."