Sport, Identity, and the 'Other': Experiences of Indian Migrants Playing Cricket in Lithuania

Abstract

The article analyses interviews conducted with Lithuania-based Indian cricket players. By drawing on the concepts of transnationalism and social identity, the article examines what function cricket performs in integrating into life in a new country and how sport allows Indians to cultivate multiple identities. Cricket for immigrants becomes a space of social relationships and status building. However, it also functions as a safety net, allowing participants to escape everyday experiences and mitigate the challenges of integration. Since cricket in Lithuania is not well developed, some immigrants work towards creating clubs and popularising the sport. In this way, cricket moves beyond the boundaries of a closed ethnic community and becomes part of the public space.