Punjabis dominate Canada team for T20 World Cup

Canada has put Punjabis out of Punjab back in cricket.

Half a dozen Punjabis have made the cut for the Canadian national team doing duty in the T20 World Cup. To add to it, in domestic cricket, scores of cricketers from Punjab are trying to break into the national squad, making Canada's national circuit look like the mini-Ranji Trophy.

The entire city of Gurdaspur rooted for a Canada victory whenever the team played in the T20 tournament. The reason was simple. 'Son of the soil' Dilpreet Singh Ponty Bajwa was helming the squad. He was one of their own.

The day Canada played New Zealand, heavy bets were placed on Bajwa getting a fifty. Scores of fans had gathered in front of TV showrooms. In the earlier two matches, he was a big disappointment. This time, Gurdaspur wanted Bajwa, born and brought up in the alleys of this ancient town, to score. And score handsomely. He clawed his way to a sedate 36 and was looking good for more, when he holed out in the deep. Gurdaspur's dream had ended. But then, hope sustains life!

Whenever he visits his home in Gurdaspur, and that is often, he makes it a point to train under his coach Rakesh Marshal at the Government College ground. A special bowling machine has also been made available for Bajwa just in case it's a rainy day. It was donated by former Deputy Commissioner (DC) Himanshu Aggarwal.

Apart from Ponty, Punjabis like Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Jaskarandeep Buttar and Yuvraj Samra are donning the national colours.

"Cricket is an Englishman's game. However, in Canada, the natives are yet to adapt to it. This development has opened the doors for cricketers from Punjab. In the domestic circuit, you can spot as many as four to six cricketers playing for their respective teams. This means, the country has a fairly decent bench strength," opined Bajwa.

Young Yujrav Samra became a household name in his adopted country when he scored a ton against the high-flying Kiwi. Cricketers like Dhaliwal and Pargat Singh, too, are doing well. In fact, they are helping the team in their own ways to stay afloat in the ongoing tournament.

Bajwa said Canada fines players who do not speak English within the team environment and in team meetings. "This is okay with us as there are players from different countries and the management does not want them to form their own sub-groups based on their language. Actually, we are fined if we do not speak English. I admit it is hard to speak English all the time. That is why Punjabis are the ones who end up paying the maximum fines," he said.

Pargat Singh has an interesting tale to recount. He represented Punjab in all age-groups. He made his way into the senior squad in 2009 but made his debut only in 2015. "I could not figure out the politics of the place. Whenever Yuvraj Singh or Harbhajan Singh would be around, they would make sure they asked for this talented player, but

I would be discarded again when the two India players were away," he said. Of the 22 matches Pargat played for the Punjab senior team, 20 came when either or both of Yuvraj and Harbhajan were around.

"Punjab's cricket selectors must be watching the team's performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup with interest. After all, they are the ones who are responsible for sending us to Canada," said Bajwa.