Last Updated:
Simranjeet Singh, once bowling to Shubman Gill in Mohali, now faces him as a UAE player in the Asia Cup, having taken 15 wickets in 12 T20Is since his debut.
Shubman Gill will revisit an acquaintance in Simranjeet Singh tonight (X)
For Simranjeet Singh, life has come full circle.
The 35-year-old left-arm spinner, now representing the United Arab Emirates (UAE), fondly remembers his early encounters with India’s batting star Shubman Gill back in Mohali more than a decade ago.
From PCA Nets to International Arena
“I have known Shubman since he was a kid, but I don’t know if he remembers me,” Simranjeet said with a shy smile ahead of UAE’s clash with India.
The Ludhiana-born spinner vividly recalls the summer of 2011-12 at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Academy.
“He must have been 11 or 12 at the time. We trained from 6 am to 11 am, and Shubman would arrive with his father right after. I often stayed back for extra bowling, and that’s when I bowled a lot to him,” he recounted.
Back then, Gill was a precocious talent already earmarked for greater things, while Simranjeet was pushing hard to break into state cricket.
Today, fate has brought them back together on opposite sides of an Asia Cup fixture.
A Spinner Who Took the Long Road
Simranjeet’s career path was anything but straightforward. A steady performer in Punjab’s district cricket, he made the Ranji Trophy probables in 2017 and even bowled at Kings XI Punjab’s (now Punjab Kings) nets, but a senior breakthrough never came.
His journey took a dramatic turn during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2021, he traveled to Dubai for a short practice stint but got stranded due to India’s second wave and the resulting lockdown. “I couldn’t go back for months and eventually ended up staying back,” he said.
That twist of fate became a lifeline. He began coaching juniors and playing club cricket to make ends meet. Over time, he qualified for UAE residency and, after proving himself in domestic competitions, contacted UAE head coach Lalchand Rajput for a trial.
When asked where his family’s loyalties will lie when UAE face India, Simranjeet chuckled: “That’s a tough one. The dream was to play for India, but now that I am playing for UAE, I think they will support UAE.”
Since his debut, Simranjeet has picked up 15 wickets in 12 T20Is at an economy of under six, quickly cementing his place in the UAE setup.
(with PTI inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
September 10, 2025, 13:10 IST
Read More
