Can I become a cricketer at age of 20

If you have interest in cricket and can do the hard work which is required to learn good cricket practices then you can become a god cricketer in an early age. I assume that you must be playing cricket and practicing it with whatever the facilities you are having at your place. Please remember that practice makes a man perfect and there is no substitute for sustained efforts in the desired direction.
To learn the cricket and its subtleties one has to join some leading cricket club or cricket academy and start to play in the local matches or any matches for which you get opportunity to participate. Please note that the clubs and local sports organisations want good players to play in their teams and anyone who can showcase proficiency in this game would be invited by them to play. Many of the great cricketers are from that route only.
Anyway, in today's environment it is necessary to join some good academy to learn the intricacies of this game and then start participating in the game of cricket professionally. Some of the leading cricket learning academies in our country are as below -
1. Madan Lal Cricket Academy, Delhi.
2. Karnataka Institute of Cricket, Bangalore.
3. National Cricket Academy, Bangalore.
4. Sehwag Cricket Academy, Jhajjar.
5. Vengsarkar Cricket Academy (VCA), Mumbai.
6. Jaipur Cricket Academy, Jaipur.
7. National School of Cricket, Dehradun.
8. VB Cricket Academy, Chennai.
Many cricket academies charge one time fee of Rs 20000 to 30000 and a monthly fee of Rs 2500 to 3500. Some high end academies charge as per hourly charges which are around Rs 5000 per hour.
There are some academies that provide weekend training also. What I would suggest is that go through the details of fee structure and other facilities provided by some of these leading academies and then select the one which suits to you in the best of the ways.

There is no problem to become a cricketer even though you are delayed till you attain 20 years. It is always better to start learning at a younger age. Generally, we see people starting to learn cricket as early as 10 years also. The competition level differs with age.

There are basically 4 areas in cricket. Batsman, bowler, wicket-keeper and all-rounder. You need not decide which area you want to focus on the day 1, but you should have some idea about the area in which you want to concentrate. In your case, it is very important to take a decision on that as early as possible as already you are 20 years.

The following are the various point you should follow to become a good player.

1. Select a good training academy: A good coach, a good academy and sustained hard work are very important for your progress in the game. Without proper guidance progressing in any field is very difficult and cricket is also not an exemption from this. So go round in your area and find out a good cricket academy where you will get a good guide and good training. You have to decide on the best coaching academy based on some points. The important points to be seen to decide on the academy are

A. The record of the academy. How many players from that academy played national games and international games.

B. Who is the coach and how experienced he is?

C. Talk to the players who are presently getting trained in the academy and take their views on the facilities in the academy and their idea about the coach.

D. How many matches are being played by the players in that academy with other academy players and other teams.

Then you can decide on the best academy. I am not giving the list of academies as I don't have any idea about the area you are staying in.

2. Maintain Physique properly: Physical fitness is very important. To play cricket good stamina is essential. So you have to see that you will keep fit by eating a proper diet and doing regular workouts. Food rich in vitamins is very important for you. Professional athletes follow strict diet plans that will help in gaining strength and endurance of muscles used. You can get suggestions from a professional dietician who can help you in this regard. Regular exercises are also very important.

3. Play as much as you can: Spend as much time as possible and play cricket with your academy colleagues and also with other academy players. Watch the videos of famous players taken while they are in action and try to learn the technics by observing them. If you have any doubts keep on asking the guide and get the easy techniques.

4. Go for selections; The district committees and state committees will be conducting selection and try to attend those selections and show your abilities to the selectors. Hard work is the key to success and you have to put in a lot of effort to get selected. But that is not the end. You have to continue your efforts and show your performance in the games you played. That will make you get selected from time to time to the district level, state level and national level teams.

5. Keep focussed: You should not get deviated from your goal and you should focus on getting selected to the teams by playing more and more and learning the game.

If you follow the above points and put in sufficient efforts definitely you will become a good cricket player.

Nothing is impossible provided one has a passion for it and so is the case with the cricket career. There are many instances when a child as young as eight years old are being seen taking appropriate training in this game. There are numerous players having attained the age of 19- 20 old playing in the national and international games for their country. So in your case, never think that you will be considered as a late entrant.
I would quote a few examples of the cricket players who have done exceptionally well in the cricket field despite their late entry at their advanced age. Have a look on their ages -
1) RJD Jamshedjee - India - 41 years
2) O. Henry - South - Africa- 40 years
3) P.N. Kristen - South- Africa - 36 years
4) J. Southerton - England - 49 years
There are some players having made late entry in this profession. It could be a source of inspiration for you.
It would be better on your part to join some cricket academy. It may be certainly exhaustive if you loose patience at any point of time but on the contrary, it may stimulate you if you take keen interest in the tips provided by your academy. Go to a stadium which is within your reach and work with dedication.
This will be the starting phase of your life. Never think of your age while practising the cricket skills.

Although you can consider yourself as a latecomer in the game because the country has under nineteen teams also whose players have more chance for the debut in the international cricket, still if you try your best then no one can stop you from reaching heights. You can join some cricket academy to hone your skills. If already joined then the first search for some local tournaments which will help you get a grip over the game and also judge where you stand. You can also give trails for your college team because from there you can even get a chance for the state teams and Ranji trophy tournament. If you reach such a level then you can define your path. You can continue to play for such a state team or some clubs also which pays well. This also opens the path for most loved IPL and national team.

Nothing is impossible in this world If you have strong determination. Oftentimes, It has been found that age is just a number. It is true that any game should be started at early age as 30-35 age is retirement age in games world. But after knowing everything you should be optimistic and believe that never late to learn. At first, you should join cricket academy where good trainer are there. After joining, you should maintain good health and proper diet. You should be dedicated towards games. Your practice should be continuous for 5 hours daily. You should participate in matches on local level so that you could evaluate yourself time to time.

Yes, you can be a cricketer at the age of 20. What you need is the right mentor and right training in the coming days through a good cricket training academy of the city, state, or country. If you are really interested to become a cricketer, devote that kind of dedication and hard work. You need to come out of the crowd and prove yourself. You can take inspiration from the old age cricketer mentioned by Sheo Shankar Jha sir. Have confidence in yourself and devote your crucial time to cricket training.