Playing Against India is the Biggest Moment of My Career, Says Ireland All-rounder Simi Singh

Simi Singh will be going through a rollercoaster of emotions when he lines up for Ireland to play against India, the country of his birth.

India will play two Twenty20 Internationals before leaving for England. The short series gets underway on June 27 at Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin.

All-rounder Simi was named in Ireland’s 14-member squad for the series. The 31-year old has already represented Ireland in seven One-day Internationals and four T20Is.

However, except his debut against New Zealand, he is yet to play against a traditional powerhouse. Born in Bathlana village in Kharar district of Punjab, Simi has eight wickets from seven ODIs and six scalps from four T20Is.

In a recent interview, he stated how he had to leave India to pursue his dream of playing cricket after not getting a place in the Punjab team.

Simi went on to say that playing against India is the biggest moment of his career.

“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,” Cricket Australia quoted Simi as saying.

Simi had left India for Ireland in 2006. Prior to that, he had played for the Mohali Under-17 side in 2004 when he scored 725 runs in the Punjab U-17 tournament.

“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 reiterated.

In 2009, he joined Old Balverydale CC before joining YMCA Club in Ireland.

Simi made his much-awaited international debut during the ODI against New Zealand, last year. He made his international T20 debut against the Netherlands early this month.

Simi Singh had a debut to remember as he picked three wickets apart from scoring a half-century in the match.

He is now hoping to use the experience to do well against the Men in Blue.

“Playing 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. (He) 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.