Punjab village celebrates ‘son’ Tanveer as he plays for Oz

As India and Australia played in the semifinals of the Champion Trophy today, the biggest sensation in the game for Punjabis was their very own Tanveer Sangha. The 23-year-old, a trump card for the Australian team, was trending today. Apart from him emerging as the special talent in the Australian team, his connection with Punjab was something that kept everyone hooked looking for his story.

Tanveer was born and brought up in Sydney. His father Joga Singh Sangha hails from Rahimpur village near Nakodar in Jalandhar. The villagers are celebrating their ‘son’ Tanveer’s success.

Former sarpanch of the village Harpreet Pal Singh while talking to The Tribune said that Joga Singh Sangha was into farming and also worked in the cooperative society for some time.

“Sangha left the village when he was young and got married when he went there. He worked as a taxi driver in Sydney. Tanveer was born there. Joga is a very dear friend of mine and whenever he would come here with Tanveer, it felt great. Tanveer was quite young when he visited here last. We never knew that one day he would achieve so much. We are proud of our ‘son’,” he said.

In his latest social media post, Joga Singh Sangha had expressed his gratitude towards Punjabis for being a huge support for Tanveer. “I hope that Tanveer will perform up to your expectations. Punjabis, you have given him so much support. I hope our children will continue to work hard like Tanveer and succeed.”

Surjit Rai Bitta, joint secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association, expressed his happiness over Indian-origin cricketers representing other countries.

Tanveer created a name for himself in the under-19 World Cup. He emerged as a breakout star in the Big Bash League and finished the BBL season as the third-highest wicket-taker. This spinner understands Hindi and Punjabi as well. He likes listening to Punjabi songs, especially by Diljit Dosanjh.