T20 World Cup: How it helps Indian diaspora realise a dream

Monank Patel, Saurabh Netravalkar, Jaspreet Singh, Aryan Dutt — not names that strike an immediate bell in the run-up to the ICC T20 World Cup. However, each men’s World T20 brings a healthy dose of Indian diaspora to the forefront, along with players of Pakistan origin, and it’s no different this time.

Just ponder this: around 40 players with Indian roots will take the field in different colours across the 20 teams in action, with Canada topping the chart with 11 Indian-origin players, followed by the USA with nine. Oman and UAE have seven each, while full-member sides like New Zealand and South Africa also have two and one, respectively.

Netravalkar, the tall 34-year-old left-arm paceman from Mumbai — who created quite a stir at the 2024 World T20 by claiming both the prize scalps of erstwhile India skippers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — has kept a toehold in franchise cricket ever since. The techie, who once played for India Under-19, has been turning out in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and hopes to grab eyeballs again as he steams in against India in the tournament opener on Saturday, 7 February. 

The USA team, meanwhile, is led by 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Monank, who once played age-group cricket for Gujarat U-19. Sharing his journey with Indian media, he said: “It’s a dream come true for many players in our team. Majority of them learned the game and started their careers in India, so it’s very special. Of course, it feels different to be playing against India for the USA, but we’ve been representing them for a long time now. God gave me a second chance to play cricket at the international level,” Monank said.

How does it feel to be a player of Indian origin slipping into the shirt of an ‘adopted’ country? Speaking to National Herald, Chirag Suri, a former vice-captain of UAE and an attacking opening batter, put things in perspective: ‘’I can speak for myself that it has been an honour to represent the UAE, more so in a World Cup. Cricketing dreams of many an aspiring cricketer are often cut short and let’s face it — not all of them can play for India. Hence, it’s a big moment for all of them and each will surely have a unique story.’’

There is, meanwhile, a lot of curiosity about Italy — a four-time FIFA World Cup winner not really known for its cricketing prowess — which will be making its cricketing debut. And Punjab-born pacer Jaspreet wants to make the most of it.

“I came to Italy when I was very young, and today I truly feel it is my home. Every cricketer grows up dreaming of playing in a World Cup, and being here now is honestly hard to put into words. What makes it even more special is that it is being played in India, where everything began for me.

‘’As a child, I dreamt of playing on international grounds, the same fields where great players compete, and today that dream has become reality. After so many sacrifices and so much hard work, I can only be grateful, and I want to enjoy every single moment of this experience,” Jaspreet told Times of India.

The case of off-spinner Aryan Dutt, who will turn out for The Netherlands, is no less fascinating. Dutt’s parents moved from India to the Netherlands before he was born. “I didn’t get a chance to return after the 2023 World Cup, so this makes it even more special. My family will be watching the game and, if time permits, I hope to go and see them too,” Aryan said.

The role play is not just limited to players, as the teams have Indian support staff members too. Former Mumbai cricketer Sulakshan Kulkarni is currently Oman’s deputy head coach. Having coached extensively in India’s domestic circuit, Kulkarni understands the depth of competition back home and sees that as the reason so many players eventually look beyond Indian shores.

“This has been happening for years. When players realise how difficult it is to break through in India, they start looking for opportunities elsewhere and nowadays, they are coming to that realisation much earlier. If representing another country gives them a chance to play at the Asia Cup or World Cup and earn a living, why wouldn’t they?” Kulkarni added.