I Kadek Gamantika (left) - Andriani (Courtesy of JCA)Cricket shone brightly in its historic debut at the recently concluded 2016 National Games in West Java.



More than 200 young Indonesian players, many of whom had not even heard of cricket until two years ago, made Bandung sit up and take notice as they demonstrated not only excellent team-spirit, but also a knowledge, keenness and grasp of the game that belied their age and limited exposure.



Bali Putras, which has benefited from playing together regularly in the Bali League, won both the Super 8s and T20 gold medals by demonstrating greater mental strength to perform well in key moments in big games.



Its captain, I Kadek Gamantika, a long-term national player, performed with considerable aplomb and emerged as Putra’s most valuable player (MVP) of the tournament. Having had a relatively weak batting performance ...