Simaranjit Singh, who failed to make it to the Punjab U-19 team, makes waves in international cricket by finding a place in the Ireland cricket team. He has broken into the Irish national team on the back of consistent all-round performances. Simaranjit, known as Simi in Ireland, made his international debut against New Zealand in May this year. The 30-year-old is also in the Irish squad for their One-dayer against West Indies.
"Although, I didn't play international cricket for India, hopefully, I'll play my first Test for Ireland soon," Simi said from Dublin. For over seven years, Simi would toil, amass runs and take wickets for Punjab's junior teams - only to be overlooked by the selectors when time came to pick the state's U-19 squad. He represented Punjab successfully at the U-14 and U-17 level; and in 2004, he scored 725 runs in the state inter-district U-17 championship. "He was named the best player at the 46th National School Games held in Vijayawada in 2001," his father Amarjit Singh said. Despite being a consistent performer, Simi failed to make the cut at the U-19 level. "It was a frustrating time for me and my family. My dream to play for India was nipped in the bud," Simi recollects.
"He was hard working, but was treated badly here (in Punjab). Simi didn't get the chance to prove his mettle at the U-19 level," says Bharti Vij, Simaranjit's coach. "He was an opening batsman with a sound technique," he adds. Simi packed his bags for Ireland in 2005 to pursue hotel management. His friend and former teammate, Gaurav convinced him that an opportunity existed in Ireland to pursue cricket and academics simultaneously. "I would play cricket on the weekend by paying five euros per game. I worked at a grocery store so that I could afford to pay to play cricket," reminisces Simi.
In a year's time, he played for the Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin as a professional. In between, in 2008, he returned to India when the first edition of IPL was around the corner. He gave trials for Kings XI Punjab, but wasn't able to make it to the main team. A work visa from Old Balverydale Cricket Club would mean that Simaranjit returned to Dublin in 2009 and played for the club for the next three years before joining YMCA Cricket Club in 2012. He started bowling off-spin and went on to pick 56 wickets in the Leinster Senior Cup - a first-division tournament in Ireland - for the club in 2013. He also scored 786 runs in the club's title win.
"In 2015, I shifted to provincial team Leinster Lighting and have been playing for the team since then. Playing alongside the likes of Kevin O'Brien, John Anderson and George Dockrell has helped my game. Earlier, I used to bat a bit slow, but O'Brien told me to inject aggression in my game," he said.
