After Rachin Ravindra, another Indian-origin cricketer is making headlines – Tanvir Sangha, who is a promising leg spinner of the Australian cricket team.
Sangha recently grabbed attention after taking two wickets against India in the opening T20I match in Visakhapatnam on November 23, 2023.
Who is Tanveer Sangha?
Tanvir Sangha rose to prominence due to his impressive domestic cricket performances, notably emerging as the leading wicket-taker in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup.
His father, Joga Singh, originally from Rahimpur near Jalandhar, Punjab, India, works as a taxi driver in Sydney, while his mother, Upjit Kaur, is an accountant in Sydney.
Sangha’s international cricket journey began after his commendable stint with Sydney Blasters in the Big Big League in 2020-21.\
He finished as the third leading wicket taker in the tournament with 21 wickets. His international call-up came in January 2021 when he was named in Australia’s T20I squad against New Zealand at just 19 years of age.
Although he missed his debut in that series, his breakthrough came on August 30, 2023, against South Africa, where he impressed by taking 4 wickets for only 31 runs.
When Australia’s leading leg spinner Adam Zampa fell ill before the match, Sangha took advantage of the opportunity and made a brilliant start.
After the match, Australia’s Mitchell Marsh praised Sangha, saying, “I’m proud of him for coming in and having such a good start. He has a great smile, so hopefully we’ll keep seeing it for many years to come.”
Australia’s lack of quality spinners is well known, with Adam Zampa often handling the spin-bowling responsibilities.
Sangha’s inclusion in the T20I series against India could provide vital international experience ahead of the T20I World Cup in six months.
The move could give Australia the option of fielding two premier spinners in the World Cup.
Although Australia lost the first two matches against India, they have three more matches left in the series.