Sikh boy makes waves in Pak cricket
Karachi, December 26
The 21-year old was selected at an emerging player camp in Multan in November. “It was a proud moment for me to be selected for the camp,” said Mahinder, who hails from a tribal region of Pakistan but lives in Nankana Sahib outside Lahore.
The eldest among five siblings, Mahinder is the first member of his community to be recognised at this level.
“It was a great experience training with the other young pace talents in the country and we learnt a lot. But my aim now is to eventually play first class cricket,” added Mahinder, a student of pharmacy in Punjab University.
“I always loved playing cricket and I used to play for local clubs after completing my matriculation,” he said.
Mahinder’s father, who is an ardent cricket lover, migrated with his family from Khyber Agency to Nankana Sahib about 15 years ago. “He wanted to play competitive cricket but couldn’t because he had to take care of the family and set up a business in Nankana Sahib. But he has now passed on his dream to me.”
“It would be lovely to become the first Sikh in Pakistan to play for the national team but right now my dream is to first play first class cricket and showcase my talent,” he said.
“There is a lot of cricket talent in Nankana Sahib but we don’t have proper playgrounds there and we used to go and play in the Gurdwara’s yard,” added Mahinder, who idolises Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.
Asked if he had faced any bias or problems playing cricket in Pakistan because of his religion, Mahinder said: “No. Wherever I play or when we were in the camp in Multan they only looked at my talent and performances.”
Citing the example of Danish Kaneria, who played as a premier bowler for Pakistan at the highest level, Mahinder said if being a Hindu, Kaneria could represent the country, why couldn’t he achieve his dreams of playing at the top level.
When Shaharyar Khan visited the high performance centre in Multan to officially inaugurate it, the PCB chief specially spent time with Mahinder and encouraged him, Mahinder recollected. — PTI
