UAE's Simranjeet Singh Remembers Shubman Gill Amid Asia Cup Preparation

Dubai, Sep 9 (PTI) - Simranjeet Singh, a 35-year-old left-arm spinner from UAE, fondly recalls memories of young Shubman Gill during his early training days in Punjab. With a shy smile, Singh mentions, "I've known Shubman since he was a kid, but I'm not sure if he remembers me." On the cusp of the most significant match of his cricket career, an Asia Cup game against India in Dubai, Singh reminisces about the time when a talented 12-year-old would join the morning training sessions at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) nets in Mohali.

"It was around 2011-12, and Shubman was about 11 or 12 years old. We trained at the PCA Academy in Mohali from 6 am to 11 am. Shubman, accompanied by his father, would come around 11 am," Singh explains. He adds, "I used to do a lot of extra bowling after our session. I don't know if Shubman would recognize me, but I bowled a lot to him back then."

Simranjeet, described as a "crafty customer" by UAE head coach Lalchand Rajput, had his life take a pivotal turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rajput praises Simranjeet's willingness to give the ball air and flight consistently, stating, "Not every left-arm spinner in T20Is has the heart to do that. Simran knows how to buy wickets with flight." The Punjab native has clinched 15 wickets in 12 T20Is, maintaining an economy rate of under six. Recently, against Afghanistan on September 5, he delivered impressive figures of 1/24 with 11 dot balls.

Simranjeet reflects on his cricketing journey, sharing, "I played a lot of district cricket in Punjab and made it to the Ranji probables in 2017. I often bowled at the Kings XI Punjab nets whenever they trained in Mohali." Despite his efforts, the breakthrough to play for India seemed distant. However, a life-altering opportunity arose when COVID-19 struck.

"I had an offer to practice in Dubai, and I arrived here in April 2021 for about 20 days. Then, the massive second wave hit, and I couldn't return due to another lockdown in India. I eventually decided to stay back," Simranjeet recalls. He needed to play three seasons of domestic cricket to qualify for the UAE team. Once eligible, he reached out to head coach Lalchand Rajput for a tryout.

"Since settling in Dubai in 2021, I've earned a decent living coaching junior players and playing club cricket, enabling me to support my household. Joining the UAE team and securing a central contract with the Emirates Cricket Board has been a boon," he shares.

As a devout Sikh, Simranjeet appreciates the UAE's tolerance towards his religious practices. "This is a great country. If I faced any issues, I wouldn't be representing the UAE. My religion is respected, and no one questions my beard, kara, or kirpan," he states.

When asked about his family's allegiance during the upcoming match between UAE and India, Singh laughs, "That's a tough one. The dream was to play for India, but now that I'm playing for UAE, I think they'll support UAE," he chuckled.

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