The recently concluded U19 World Cup 2024 held in West Indies saw participation from several Indian origin players who opted to represent other countries.
While India fielded an all-Indian squad in the tournament, seven players of Indian descent featured for nations like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Zimbabwe.
Their families had migrated to these countries earlier and the young cricketers grew up playing there. Here is a look at the Indian origin players who shone for other teams in the U19 World Cup.
Snehith Reddy was one of the star performers for New Zealand in the tournament. Born to Indian parents in Auckland, the left-handed batsman smashed a match-winning hundred against England in the semifinals. Reddy finished as the third highest run-scorer for New Zealand with 278 runs from 6 matches. His father had migrated from Andhra Pradesh two decades ago.
Another Indian origin player who represented New Zealand was all-rounder Oliver Tewatiya. Born in Wellington to parents from Bihar, the 17-year-old Tewatiya contributed with both bat and ball, scoring 82 runs and taking 4 wickets. His impressive showing helped New Zealand reach the semifinals.
For Australia, Harkirat Bajwa was their leading wicket-taker in the World Cup with 13 scalps. The Mumbai-born fast bowler, whose family moved to Melbourne 10 years back, troubled the opposition batsmen with his ability to swing the ball. Bajwa’s economical spells played a key role in Australia reaching the Super League stage.
South Africa fielded Romashan Soma Pillay, a left-arm spinner born in Durban to parents with roots in Tamil Nadu. The 18-year-old Soma Pillay snared 8 wickets for South Africa in 6 matches and also chipped in with some useful runs down the order. His all-round show helped the Proteas finish third in their group.
Scotland had the services of right-handed batsman Aditya Hegde, who was born in Bangalore but shifted base to Edinburgh as a child. The 18-year-old notched up a patient half-century against Zimbabwe and also contributed with his part-time leg-spin, taking 2 wickets.
For Zimbabwe, right-arm pacer Ronak Patel from Bulawayo played all their 6 matches, claiming 7 wickets. The son of Gujarati parents who immigrated in the 1990s, Patel troubled the opposition with his ability to generate pace and bounce.
The lone player of Indian descent in the Australian squad was Harjas Singh. The left-arm spinner, whose family moved to Melbourne from Punjab, snapped up 4 wickets in 5 matches for Australia, including a 2-wicket haul against Sri Lanka.
While these talented youngsters missed out on representing India at the global event, they shone for other nations, carrying the legacy of the Indian diaspora with pride and skill. It showcased how the game of cricket has become a global sport with influence across the world.
