18-06-2025
Gujarati-Malayali youth makes spirited debut for Indonesia cricket team
He went on to play four matches in the seven-match series, scoring 39 (43 balls) and 20 (23) in subsequent games. Indonesia lost the series 5-2, but for this youngster from Mattancherry, just being part of it was 'a dream I never thought I'd live.'
Born and raised in Kochi, Vineet's cricketing roots run deep. 'It started in childhood. My dad was a cricket enthusiast, and we used to watch the matches together. Our neighbourhood in Mattancherry was full of cricket fanatics, so the game just became a part of life,' he says.
He was part of the school team at Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Mundamveli, and later, the college team at Chinmaya Vidyapeet. Hailing from a Gujarati household, Vineet also played local matches for the Shri Cochin Gujarati Sports Club in Mattancherry.
In local sporting circles, Vineet's dedication towards cricket is legendary. Once, he took a train from Chennai to Kochi to play a match, and returned by bus the same night. Then, there was another occasion, wherein he boarded a Dubai-Kochi flight just to play a tournament.
