Tanveer Sangha, Son of Punjabi Immigrants, Set to Play For Australian Cricket Team

The 19-year-old Tanveer Sangha is a leg-break bowler and has taken 21 wickets in 14 T20s so far. 

Tanveer Sangha is set to become the second cricketer of Indian origin to play for Australia’s men national cricket team. Sangha was named in an 18-man squad for the T20I tour of New Zealand starting next month which will run concurrent to the South Africa Test series.

The 19-year-old is a leg-break bowler and has taken 21 wickets in 14 T20s so far.  “I was over the moon when I got the call. It took a while for it to sink in… I did not expect to be selected at such a young age,” Tanveer told The Times of India.

Tanveer was born to Punjabi immigrants who moved to Australian shores in 1977. His father Joga Singh Sangha, a farmer, arrived in country on a student visa. He worked in a farm for some time before becoming a taxi driver.

His mother is an accountant.

Tanveer began showing interest in cricket aged 10. “Tanveer is a natural sportsperson. He played volleyball, rugby and kabaddi growing up. When Tanveer was 10, he showed interest in cricket. By the time he was 12, I got him to play in local adult cricket teams,” his father told the English daily.

The school Tanveer attended the East Hills Boys High School famous where the likes of Steve and Mark Waugh alongside Olympic champion Ian Thorpe did their schooling too.

Tanveer credits Fawad Alam, an Australian international cricketer of Pakistan origin, as his mentor. “This was during the second or third game of the U-16 series against Pakistan (when Fawad spotted Tanveer). Since that day, he has been my mentor,” he said.

Tanveer was a good batsman but  his father instead advised him to take up spin bowling.

Should he make his debut in New Zealand, Tanveer will become the second cricketer of Indian origin to represent a senior Australian team after Gurinder Sandhu.