Six Oriel College crews complete Channel row to Dunkirk
Oriel student captains Oxford to Varsity cricket success
11 June 2026
Saqlain Choudhary picked up three wickets to help the Blues to their second victory against Cambridge of the academic year
Saqlain Choudhary celebrates during Oxford’s victory against Cambridge. Picture by ©MCC/Jed Leicester
Oriel Physics DPhil student Saqlain Choudhary captained Oxford as the Blues beat Cambridge by 13 runs in their Twenty20 cricket Varsity match at Lord’s.
“The celebrations were huge, it was just sheer euphoria,” smiled the Graduate Teaching and Research Scholar, who was named player of the match.
“I remember just dropping the ball and all of my teammates just swarming me.
“It’s only by looking at their faces that I know something has happened.”
The 27-year-old was named captain for the 2025/26 academic year and has overseen two wins from two against Cambridge, with two games against the Light Blues remaining this season.
“Previous people who have held this office are people who we, in the popular imagination, and I hold in very high esteem,” he said.
“I can’t say I’m a great successor but I can say that if there is a gap in skill between me and my predecessors, I hope I bridge it by how much I care about the club and the institution and what it’s meant to me.”
The London-born all-rounder admits he initially struggled playing cricket when he was a 13-year-old but refused to stop playing the game he fell in love with, learning more about the game by watching YouTube videos.
“I played rugby and football and table tennis and other things,” he said.
“Cricket was the one that had some kind of impact on my formation as an individual in the most total sense.
“And I think that’s why I’m still here, it’s still as interesting if not more.”
Choudhary’s research will continue next year with a postdoctoral fellowship while teaching at Queen’s College.
He says he will leave Oriel with fond memories following the conclusion of his year at the College.
“It’s been a really educational experience, which is strange to say because I’m the one doing the teaching but I’ve loved teaching Physics,” he said.
“I feel like a student in the broadest sense. I feel like I learn so much from these philosophers and theologians and it’s extremely welcoming.
“Although my time here has been brief compared to the rest of my time at Oxford it’s been extremely fundamental in my understanding of many things, and I will miss it for sure.”