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Harmeet Singhan ancient india U19 World Cup champion, has charted an extraordinary path in cricket and now represents the USA on the world stage. Born and raised in Mumbai, Harmeet’s journey began with a passion for football and then moved on to cricket when a summer camp revealed his talent. His early days were marked by record-breaking performances in school cricket alongside stars like Rohit Sharma and the guidance of legendary coach Padmakar Shivalkar. Harmeet fondly remembers these formative years as the foundation of his cricket dreams.
In an exclusive chat with Cricket Times, Harmeet revealed how he faced numerous challenges for USA, from adapting to an emerging cricket infrastructure to balancing family life amid a hectic schedule. However, his determination paid off, as highlighted by his team’s surprising victory over Pakistan in it T20 World Cup 2024. Reflecting on his time in IPL with Rajasthan Royals and maintaining connections with his U19 teammates, Harmeet continues to inspire with his resilience and vision for the growth of USA cricket.
Here are some highlights from the interview:
Q: How did your journey in cricket start?
Harmeet: Like any other child in India. I used to play soccer at my school, I was at St Joseph’s Orlem, Malad and then I grew up until fifth grade playing soccer, but then I also played cricket in my building and in my apartments with friends and all that, so There was a summer camp. which my dad put me in near our house, so I went there. I like sports and when you play with real cricket ball it is different and the coaches also said that you have talent so you should take up this sport and then without thinking twice I started playing cricket and also changed my school to Swami . Vivekananda, Borivali where Rohit (Rohit Sharma) also studied and cricket was their main sport and then we broke Harris Shield records, that’s where Dilip Sardesai sir saw me and at Bombay Jimkhana, that’s how I started.
Q: Who were your idols growing up?
Harmeet: First he was my coach. Padmakar Shivalkar Sir, and for me, the way he picked 600 first-class wickets and couldn’t make an international debut that speaks volumes about his class and his perseverance, where he never gave up and continued his career, so that’s a very good example. and again I used see a lot Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly I grew up because you know you’re left-handed, so yeah, like on screen, I loved watching Yuvraj and Sourav.
Q: What challenges did you face after moving to the US?
Harmeet: In the US it wasn’t easy because when I got here there was nothing like what we see now in the Major Leagues and the Minor Leagues, the USA Cricket national setup works well and you know the contracts and all that, it wasn’t there, so also infrastructure, the stadium in Dallas that was not there but they told us that all this will come in 3-4 years, be it 2, 3, 4 years and again I made a bet and when I went there during COVID there was no first class . season in India so that the year 2020 so I It was like in the meantime I didn’t do anything, I prefer to go there and, you know, see things, whatever it is, and then, I liked Seattle, so I signed the contract there , they did my Visa and everything and then I moved there with my family.
A lot of challenges, I had my kids here so it wasn’t easy for my wife to, you know, take care of because I was always traveling, playing coach, working, and again she chose not to work because the kids were young, so all that. . and now we moved to Houston to travel less when I’m home and now I play a lot of international franchise cricket so it’s tough on the family. This is the life I always wanted as a cricketer so again no complaints but you know you have to face every stage of life, you will always have some challenges but again you have to accept them and find a solution. he.
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Q: How did it feel to defeat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024?
Harmeet: I think from the moment we won that game and not only did we win the game, but we also gave a really difficult game to India and South Africa, so we moved a lot of pieces there in the world cup and a lot of people. We were shocked to see the talent we possess. But if you look after the World Cup, there are a lot of our US players that have started to get a lot of attention from the franchise, so what I feel is you know the Cricket franchise, what it does is you rub shoulders with the best and the best. inside and around you and you know that then you make a name for yourself and that only helps you do better.
This is also how Afghanistan has grown from strength to strength and their boys are now trusted as one of the best cricketers in the franchise, so wherever you go, if it is an Afghan player, they will pick him straight away, so I think That’s the name we want. and we are getting closer to that, we are like there are some guys who are getting consistent opportunities, there are few guys inside and outside the Cricket franchise so I think it will only grow from here and you know how it is evolving. It’s really exciting and you know that now we have a proper stadium or maybe two proper stadiums, but in the next few years, if we have very good infrastructure, you know, a national center like Australia or any test country, to train the players. fast bowling and all that. So I guess why don’t we have it all then.
Q: Are you still in contact with your U-19 teammates?
Harmeet: Yes, we talk about Vihari from time to time (Hanuman Vihari) texted in between, he wanted me to help one of the Hyderabad players reach the US and yes, he has always been kind and Sandeep (Sandeep Sharma) here and there and then Kamal Paasi He is a good friend from the World Cup and from then on. and even Mandeep Singh He’s a good friend, I also played the 2010 World Cup, so yeah, Sanju (Sanju Samson) I met Kuldeep (Kuldeep Yadav) I also played a lot of cricket, Chahal (Yuzvendra Chahal) and all these guys so Axar (Axar Patel) was there in the Indian under 19 team when we went to the Asia Cup, I think on one of the tours, I think so, at that time we were all at the same level and we played together and now at least I am happy that the three . Many of them play for India, which is very good.
Q: You were part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL. Tell us about that experience?
Harmeet: It was one of the best and it also became one of the scariest afterwards when all the fixed things happened, but better in the sense that I got to share the dressing room with Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane and all the stalwarts of world cricket. Brad Hodge was there, one of the best franchise cricketers or the best player in the T20 team, so all those experiences that I took from there, I’m still trying to use them in my career. I wish I could have more opportunities in the IPL but I only had one game so again I wouldn’t say I failed there but if there were enough opportunities and I failed it was fine but I just wish there were more opportunities with white ball cricket. India.
Watch the full interview:
