From Punjab’s farm to Edgbaston: Sukhjit Singh charts ‘incredible’ journey

When Sukhjit was just 5, he lost his father, forcing the tiny tot to be a farm hand. Sport wasn’t something little Sukhjit had time for. The watershed moment for the struggling family came when Sukhjit’s mother Paramjit, a few years after her husband’s death, decided to take the big leap and join her extended family in England. The Manolian to Midlands transition was brutal on Sukhjit. The adolescent boy would be a mute spectator in the new surroundings and alien culture. The language barrier would escalate the pain of loneliness.

As a teenager in Handsworth, a bustling Birmingham suburb largely consisting of Asian immigrants, he never quite saw cricket as a feasible career option. Like many of his friends with Indian roots, the young boy from Punjab had modest dreams. Climbing up the supermarket hierarchy being one of them, helping his mother Paramjit, who had started selling Indian sweets, was another option. Things changed in 2009 when Gordon, who was then associated with Chance to Shine, a charity organisation partially funded by the England and Wales Cricket Board came scouting for talent at Sukhjit’s school in Handsworth.

“Sunny instantly caught the attention of our coach (Gordon), and he has since then been under our wings. Today, he is the first cricketer from our organisation to have progressed to play in county cricket,” says Adam Sofroniou, Communication Officer, Chance to Shine. The charity organisation set up in 2005, has ties with 39 counties in and around the United Kingdom and promotes cricket at junior schools. Under the tutelage of Chance to Shine, Sukhjit took the tentative steps, showcasing his wares as a left-arm fast bowler at the U-13 level. After what was a relatively smooth induction to junior cricket, the budding fast bowler hit his first speed bump.

While playing in an U-14 club game seven summers ago, he was carted around by opposition batsmen, conceding close to 40 runs from three overs. “This can have damaging consequences on your morale,” Gordon explains. Such was the impact of that assault that Sukhjit came to Gordon the following morning and said: “Sir, I want to bowl spin.” Gordon, though, was not surprised. “If anything, the shift made him more serious about his game.”

Prize scalp

He has made steady progress since, making his first-class debut against Somerset in May this year, when he made an instant impact. “When you get someone like Dean Elgar (he was playing for Somerset) as your first scalp, it shows that you’re not doing too badly,” Gordon says. Getting the South African opener in the opening game boosted his confidence, after which he went on to scalp six more in his second first-class game against Hampshire. Warwickshire would go on to lose that game, but Sunny’s reputation was firmly enhanced. He has featured in four first-class games, but has already managed to create enough buzz.

Gordon, though, has a word of caution for his brightest ward. “He still has a long way to go as a bowler… has a wonderful action, but needs to be more consistent, and must keep working on variations like the arm-ball.” Over the years, help came from several quarters, not just Gordon alone. Ashley Giles, the former England left-arm spinner, the man in charge of Warwickshire cricket, has taken the young spinner from Hoshiarpur under his wings.

Last winter, Sukhjit spent three months in Darren Lehmann’s Adelaide academy — after he was chosen amongst players from various counties — as part of ECB’s exchange programme. This experience proved invaluable. “He was home-sick and hated Australia initially. But I’m glad that he went for it. The trip has toughened him up,” Gordon observes. Listening to Gordon, it’s easy to guess the reason behind Sukhjit’s home-sickness — Paramjit’s sumptuous savouries. “I’ve not been in touch with her lately. She is a good cook and makes these wonderful sweets. I had tasted something which she had made long ago…don’t remember what the name was,” the man, who had a big role to play in cricket’s latest fairytale that is being talked about at Edgbaston, recalls.

Former England captain Mike Atherton has dedicated his pre-Test column in The Times to the boy from Birmingham. “He came to the game through neither family nor private school, rather a circuitous route starting in Punjab and ending at Edgbaston, via a state school, a supermarket job stacking shelves, the charity Chance to Shine, Birmingham club cricket, Warwickshire’s representative age-group teams and now first-class cricket.” Now, that’s an incredible journey.