Promotional posters outside the PCA stadium have faces of four men – the captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and the three Punjabis – Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh. (Express Photos | Namit Kumar)
Thursday’s India-South Africa T20I would be the first men’s international match at the plush New Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, built on the outskirts of Chandigarh in Mullanpur, but the bigger buzz is about three Punjabi youngsters taking to their home turf. So while jersey-sellers are making a killing with the usual suspects – India captain Suryakumar Yadav, Dhoni, Rohit, Kohli – demand is also unusually high for the local names — Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh.
It will be the first time ever three Punjabi players will turn out for India in their home state. Baljit Kaur, Arshdeep’s mother, shares palpable excitement.
“All three are like brothers; they share a very close bond. And to see them playing for India together is like family members playing for India,” she tells The Indian Express. “We had also met Abhishek in Australia, and both families travelled together and cheered for them. At Mullanpur too, we all will be cheering.”
The feeling is shared by many. “I have seen all of them since their younger days, especially Shubman. After such a long time, we are seeing three players making their place almost permanent in the Indian team. Obviously, it makes us very happy,” Rajkumar Sharma, Abhishek’s father and childhood coach, says.
India’s buildup to their T20 World Cup defence kicked off in earnest with a thumping 101-run victory over the Proteas at Cuttack on Tuesday.
Promotional posters outside the PCA stadium have faces of four men – the captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and the three Punjabis – Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh. (Express Photo | Nitin Sharma)
As they fine-tune their team and combinations over nine more games over the next two months, the three players from this state have established themselves as mainstays.
They have shown they have the X-factor. Shubman has taken to his elevation as Test and ODI captain and runs have come in T20s too; Abhishek is the No.1 T20 batter in the world; and Arshdeep’s ability with the new white ball, on display during India’s 2-1 ODI series win over South Africa last week, has made him a force to reckon with. “The last time three Punjab players played for India was Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia. These are very good signs,” former India all-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who played 18 ODIs, says.
Punjab’s results in domestic cricket have been fairly mixed, having last won the Ranji Trophy in 1993. But that has not prevented a stream of players over generations — from Navjot Singh Sidhu to Yuvraj and Harbhajan — to enter Indian ranks. The new generation has picked up the mantle.
For Vikram Rathour, former India batting coach and member of the triumphant 1993 side, Punjab has never lacked talent. He rejects the idea that there is a difference between the mindset of today’s generation and that of a previous era. “Can you find me a more fearless and hard-hitting cricketer than Yuvraj Singh?” he asks.
But it is T20 cricket, in particular, that has seen Punjab rising, in his view. It may have been over three decades since they got their hands on the domestic First-Class title, but Punjab won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy two seasons ago. The format perfectly suits Punjabi sporting culture: work hard, play hard.
“We are generally very hardworking, which has been shown by our athletes in other sports as well. But there is definitely an element of being fearless and fun-loving that is embedded in Punjabi culture, and T20 cricket has a lot of that too,” Rathour says.
Sodhi agrees with the assessment, adding, “There is camaraderie and chemistry between Punjabis. I see Shubman and Abhishek push each other a lot and also help each other. That’s also an advantage.”
The IPL has brought much-needed exposure to top-quality opposition under pressure, and miniature versions of those scenarios are there in the local franchise league.
“In my role at Rajasthan Royals (as assistant coach), a lot of scouting happens in the state leagues, and Punjab’s league (Sher-e-Punjab T20 Cup) is one of the better ones out there,” Rathour says.
“I actually believe Punjab has a lot more talent than what it has achieved yet. It should be doing even better. With the kind of top players they have now, the only way is up.”
The way to the top could begin on Thursday, by providing the capacity crowd full of locals its money’s worth.
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