5 Successful Indian-Origin Cricketers Who Played For Other Countries: There have been numerous instances when cricketers have left their country of origin or birth and went on to become successful for other nations. For example, many players from South Africa and New Zealand have played for England; several of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning team were of non-English origin.
The key reasons for change in the base for cricketers are lack of opportunities in the birth country and family shifting.
Interestingly, there have been cricketers of Indian origin as well who have played and become successful for other nations. We look at 5 such players.
Ajaz Patel
Ajaz Patel lived the dream when last year he returned to Mumbai, his city of birth, and claimed a historic 10-wicket innings haul against India, becoming only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket – after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble – to pick up all 10 wickets in a Test innings.
Ajaz was born in Mumbai in 1988, and emigrated with his family to New Zealand when he was 8 years of age.
Monty Panesar
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, renowned as Monty Panesar, was born in Luton to Indian parents. Panesar is a Sikh, and so he wears a black patka/turban. His father, Paramjit, is an architect, who, along with his mother, Gursharan Kaur, migrated from Punjab, India to Luton in England in 1979.
Monty Panesar became one of the finest England spinners. He made his Test debut in 2006 in Nagpur and had Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test wicket and Rahul Dravid as his third. The left-arm spinner went on to pick a total of 167 wickets in 50 Tests; he played a key role in England winning the 2012 series in India.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Legendary batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the second-leading run-scorer for West Indies in international cricket – only behind Brian Lara – with 20988 runs. He is of Indian descent although his father was born in Guyana. Well-known for his unorthodox crab-like batting stance, Chanderpaul is the first Indo-Caribbean cricketer to play 100 Tests for the West Indies.
He was born to Indo-Guyanese parents Kamraj and Uma Chanderpaul in Guyana on 16 August 1974. His ancestors had moved from India to the West Indies as indentured labours under the indentured labour system.
Former England captain and now a revered commentator, Nasser Hussain is of Indian descent. Muslim by religion, Nasser Hussain was born in Chennai (then Madras) and then his family moved to England when he was a young child.
is English.
