Interview: Sanjay Krishnamurthi - the big-hitter lifting US cricket to new heights
The San Francisco Unicorns star is eyeing a MLC title.
As a wide-eyed child, Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s passion for cricket deepened in India and it’s where his career crystallised.
He once closely observed Sachin Tendulkar bat in Test match from the terraces, but the touchstone was India’s memorable 2011 World Cup triumph at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Fifteen years later at the T20 World Cup, Arizona-raised Krishnamurthi was feeling the adulation from the Wankhede crowd - quite the feat considering he was blasting their heroes to all parts.
Krishnamurthi joint top-scored for USA with 37 off 31 balls, bludgeoning a couple of sixes as the Americans briefly threatened the greatest upset in cricket history.
He eventually holed out, but the performance - and subsequent wins over Namibia and the Netherlands - cemented USA’s growing reputation after their breakout performance at the 2024 T20 World Cup on home soil.
“I loved India growing up and I still like watching them play,” Krishnamurthi, who moved to India with his parents when he was eight, told Cricket Financial Journal.
“In that moment, it was special to have opened the eyes of the fans and a lot of people in general that we have a good team and that we’re here to compete.”
Krishnamurthi has had a mixed bag in the current MLC season, but looms as a key in San Francisco Unicorns’ quest for a maiden title.
In their first season under new coach Cameron White, the Unicorns finished on top of the ladder and open the playoffs against Los Angeles at the iconic Oakland Coliseum.
As the ashen-faced fans in Mumbai can attest, Krishnamurthi has deadly hitting-power mixed with composure that makes him such a formidable white-ball player, especially in the death overs.
His best performance this season was on a tough pitch against New York where he hit an unbeaten 48 off 45 - the next highest score in the game was 21 - to lift the Unicorns to a five-wicket victory in a nervy chase.
Krishnamurthi once had a lanky frame and found hitting sixes difficult. As a junior cricketer in India, he played the role of an anchor and was deemed a very steady batter.
But when he moved back to the US to seek greater playing opportunities and also to study at university, Krishnamurthi focused on white-ball batting.
That meant an emphasis on getting stronger physically and he went about working with a baseball coach to further master power hitting.
In a team boasting some of the world’s most destructive batters, including Finn Allen and Matt Short, Krishnamurthi has made an impression on his Unicorns teammates.
“I’ve been very impressed with how he hits the ball and he is a hard worker,” Australian rising star Ollie Peake told Cricket Financial Journal. “He loves the game as well and loves talking about it, so I think there’s heaps of success to come on his journey.”
While his season to date hasn’t quite hit the heights he expected, a big playoff run would be another milestone for Krishnamurthi who at 23 has not entered his prime years.
Krishnamurthi is something of a pioneer for American cricket, part of the first wave of homegrown heroes for a new generation of fans in a country that has so many big dreams attached to it.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us younger players who have longer careers ahead to inspire the youth to pick up this game,” he said.
“The way that cricket has been growing in this country and the traction that we’re getting, I do think that it’s possible for the US to one day win a World Cup.”
Some of his peers at San Jose State University, where he is in the final stages of a computer science degree, might be oblivious that they hit the books with an international athlete.
But Krishnamurthi and his American teammates might not be too far away from the limelight.
Almost exactly two years from now, Krishnamurthi could very well be leading USA’s charge at the Los Angeles Olympics with cricket making its belated return to the biggest stage in sports.
The USA men’s team are almost certain to automatically qualify as hosts with the tournament to be played on a Pomona ground which recently saw its first hit out during the MLC.
“It’s very exciting. I think the Olympics could inspire kids of all ethnicities to pick up the game” Krishnamurthi said.
“At the very minimum, the average American will at least know what cricket is and that’s a step in the right direction.”
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