(January 26, 2024) Cricket, deeply rooted in the cultural essence of India, has seen the rise of exceptional Indian-origin talent flourishing abroad in countries they now call home. Global Indian puts into spotlight seven cricketers with roots in India, who have become integral to the cricketing spirit in their adopted countries. From donning the colours of England, South Africa, New Zealand, the Netherlands, to guiding international teams, each player’s journey is about triumph, adding glory to their respective nations and making the diaspora proud.
Ravinder Singh Bopara
Representing England
The Indian-origin English cricketer is associated with Sussex County Cricket Club in one-day cricket and has been a part of the England national team. Initially recognised as a top-order batsman, his evolving medium-paced bowling skills have transformed him into a batting all-rounder in one-day matches. Beyond his contributions to Sussex, Bopara has showcased his talents in various T20 leagues, representing Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League, Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, and Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League. He was a key member of the England team that secured victory in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20.
Ravinder Singh Bopara
Born into an immigrant Indian Punjabi Sikh family, Bopara received his education at Brampton Manor School in East Ham and Barking Abbey School. His cricket journey began at Frenford Clubs, and he represented Essex Boys and Girls Clubs in their U14 representative cricket team. His talent had earned him a place in the England U-19s, where he played multiple matches, including the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup, before joining the senior team.
Muttiah Muralitharan
Represented Sri Lanka
Muttiah Muralitharan played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s victory in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. A former Sri Lankan cricket player with origins in India, Muralitharan serves as a cricket coach and commentator now. For averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely acknowledged as one of the premier bowlers in the history of international cricket. Muralitharan holds the distinction of being the sole bowler to achieve 800 Test wickets and over 530 wickets in One Day Internationals (ODIs). As of September 2023, he holds record of taking the highest number of wickets in international cricket, surpassing all other bowlers. Muralitharan has been bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2015, and has coached the Australian national team on multiple occasions.
Muttiah Muralitharan
Muralitharan’s grandfather had migrated from South India to work as a tea plantation worker at Sri Lanka in 1920. After many years he went back to his homeland with his daughters and started living in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. However, his sons, including Muralitharan’s father opted to stay in Sri Lanka.
Keshav Athmanand Maharaj
Representing South Africa
Keshav Maharaj represents the South African national team in Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). Specialising as a left-arm spin bowler and lower-order batsman, Maharaj made his first-class cricket debut for KwaZulu-Natal, a coastal South African province in 2006. He started representing South Africa in Test cricket since 2016. In domestic cricket, Keshav plays for Dolphins and represents Durban’s Super Giants in SA20. His father served as a wicketkeeper for KwaZulu-Natal.
Keshav Athmanand Maharaj
Born into a Hindu family in Durban, Keshav Maharaj has Indian ancestry. His great-grandfather migrated from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh to Durban in 1874 as an indentured labourer.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Represented West Indies
Shivnarine ‘Shiv’ Chanderpaul is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his era. He played a pivotal role in the West Indies team’s victory in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. Having captained West Indies in 14 Tests and 16 One Day Internationals, Chanderpaul, a left-handed batsman is popular for his distinctive batting stance. Chanderpaul holds the 10th position in the list of highest run-scorers in international cricket and eighth position in Test cricket. For accumulating 20,000 runs in international cricket, he was honoured as one of the five Cricketers of the Year by the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in 2008 and was bestowed with Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) from the International Cricket Council. He was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2022.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Born to Indo-Guyanese parents Kamraj and Uma Chanderpaul at Unity Village in Guyana, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s cricketing talent was nurtured by his father, Kamaraj. His family’s roots trace back to India, from where his ancestors moved to the West Indies as indentured labourers. Currently, Chanderpaul serves as the head coach of the USA senior women’s and the USA Under-19 women’s teams.
Ish Sodhi
Representing New Zealand
Inderbir Singh popularly known as ‘Ish’ Sodhi, represents New Zealand’s national cricket team across all formats and plays for Canterbury in domestic cricket. Sodhi, a right-arm leg-spinner and right-handed batsman, achieved the top-ranking for T20I bowlers in January 2018, rising from the 10th position at the conclusion of the preceding year.
Ish Sodhi
Originating from Punjab, Sodhi was born in Ludhiana, into a Sikh family. He migrated to Papatoetoe in New Zealand, with his family at the age of four, and attended Papatoetoe High School.
Hashim Mohammad Amla
Represented South Africa
The Durban-born cricketer is a former South African captain in both Test and ODI cricket who announced his retirement last year. Amla achieved the distinction of being the fastest cricketer to reach 3000, 4000, 6000, and 7000 ODI runs, and the second fastest to reach 5000 runs. He also holds the record of the quickest to attain 10 ODI centuries. Known for occasional off-break bowling, Amla is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest batsmen to have represented South Africa and is regarded as one of the finest opening batsmen in cricket history. A right-handed batsman, Amla claimed the record for the highest individual Test score by any South African batsman, notching an unbeaten 311 against England at The Oval, London in 2012.
Hashim Mohammad Amla
Hailing from a devout Muslim family of Indian descent, Amla’s grandfather migrated from Surat to South Africa in 1927. Raised in a middle-class household, the cricketer attended Durban High School. His elder brother, Ahmed Amla, also pursued a professional cricket career. The brothers played together for some time at the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins.
Vikramjit Singh
Representing Netherlands
Vikramjeet Singh is popular as the left-handed opening batsman. Singh made his debut for Netherlands at the age of 15. In his junior career, he represented the Netherlands national under-19 cricket team at Under-19 World Cup Europe Qualifier, emerging as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 133 runs against France. Moving on to his senior career, Singh made his T20I debut for the Netherlands against Scotland in September 2019.
Vikramjit Singh
Born in Cheema Khurd, Punjab, India, to a Sikh family, Singh’s grandfather had migrated to the Netherlands after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Initially working as a taxi driver. His grandfather later established a transport company. The family moved back and forth between the Netherlands and India for several decades, and finally settled permanently in the Netherlands when Singh was just seven.
