Ireland vs India T20 2018: Mohali’s Simi Singh To Play for Ireland

Team Ireland has announced names for their 14-member squad for the upcoming series India. Out of all the notable names, is an Indian origin cricketer named Simi Singh, who will essay the role of an off-spinner in the team and will take on Virat Kohli and co.

While speaking to Indian Express, he said, “From the day I started playing cricket in Mohali, I always used to dream about playing for the Indian team. When I did not get my chance in Punjab cricket, I went to study in Ireland and now to get a chance to play against the Indian team at the same ground, where I used to play and train kids, is the biggest moment of my career. Though I have never met players like Indian captain Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, I have always seen them play on television. In my college days in Chandigarh, I played along with Yuzvendra Chahal and also with Siddharth Kaul and facing them on the cricket field again will be special. A lot of my friends in Ireland will wear my Ireland jersey with Singh written on it and cheering for me.”

Simi made his T20 international debut against the Netherlands, which gave him a lot of confidence. “laying in the T-20 format at the international level before the series against India gave me a lot of confidence. Scotland and Netherlands have some very good players and taking wickets against those teams helped my game. Playing for Leinster Lightning, which also sees the presence of players like Kevin O’Brien, also gives me an opportunity to hone my all-rounder skills. The century against Knights earlier this month came in tough conditions and it feels good to see my name in the record books,” he said on a concluding note. India will play three T20 international matches in Dublin against Ireland.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2018 05:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).