Monty’s cheering squad in Ludhiana

It was a special day for Hari Singh and Manjit Kaur: They saw their grandson Monty Panesar become the first Sikh ever to be selected for the...

It was a special day for Hari Singh and Manjit Kaur: They saw their grandson Monty Panesar become the first Sikh ever to be selected for the English cricket team. ‘‘It’s his debut test match and we want to give him all the support we can’’, said Hari Singh.

They were, however, a bit disappointed as they could not see Monty play. ‘‘He’s a bowler and we are more keen to see him bowl. His batting will no doubt come in the later order,” Hari Singh said.

The grandparents credit Monty’s success to their son Paramjeet Singh, himself a cricketer at amateur level. ‘‘When Monty was in school his father used to encourage him to play cricket particularly and he also took Monty to cities where cricket matches used to be held. Paramjeet’s hard work has finally shown results,’’ said Hari Singh. Happily, the next Test is at Mohali. ‘‘We will surely go to watch the match’’, says Hari Singh. ‘‘It’s been more than a year since we last saw him — that was when we’d gone to England.”

— Mohit Khanna

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup trophy Mohsin Naqvi

India refuse to take Asia Cup winners’ trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi

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India refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan's Mohsin Naqvi, causing a delay in the presentation ceremony. Only three players collected their individual awards, while the team did not go up to the podium or pose with the trophy. The Pakistani players emerged an hour late, causing embarrassment.

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