‘Whoever wins, an Indian will hold the coveted trophy after all’
of who wins the ICC under-19 World Cup in New Zealand on Saturday, an Indian skipper will be beaming ear to ear.
There is no doubt Indian fans will cheer skipper Prithvi Shaw and his team, but the Australia skipper will also count on some Indians in his corner. Shaw’s counterpart Jason Sangha is of Indian origin. His father Kuldeep Sangha is from Punjab and migrated to Australia in the 1980s. Jason is the first Indian-origin player to lead Australia at any level of cricket.
It will be an emotional moment for the Sanghas when the national anthems of the two countries are played at the Bay Oval before the game. While they will be proud of their son leading Australia, they will feel the connect with their country of origin when the Indian national anthem is played.
“It will be an emotional day for us. We are so proud of Jason and the Australian boys on making the final. It was an unbelievable feeling to witness the hard work the boys put in to make the finals,” said Jason’s mother Sylvia Sangha, who has been in New Zealand since Australia’s warm-up matches.
Jason’s father Kuldeep was originally from Bathinda and a state-level athlete. He moved to Australia for higher education. Jason has been making a name for himself in Australian cricket. He scored 88 against Papua New Guinea and 58 in the quarter-final victory over England. Allrounder Param Uppal, another Indian origin cricketer, who was born in Chandigarh, is also in the team.
Sylvia exuded excitement. “The Indian community is very proud that Australia have a captain of Indian origin. They all wish him the best and are supporting the Australian boys fully. It would be great to see Jason lift the World Cup.”
Sylvia will be joined by her husband and daughter before the final. Sylvia watched Shubman Gill’s match-winning 102 against Pakistan in the semi-finals. Gill and Abhishek Sharma are both from Punjab, like Jason and Param Uppal. “It’s amazing to watch the Punjabi boys shine. They are all very talented, and highly respected.”
CHANDIGARH:Regardless