The Canadian cricket team, featuring players from diverse ethnic backgrounds, is set to face India on Saturday (June 15) in the T20 World Cup 2024.
The team, led by Saad Bin Zafar, includes four players born in India. These Indian-born cricketers have significantly contributed to Canada’s squad, which also includes three Pakistan-born players.
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So far, Canada has played three matches in the tournament, securing a surprising win against Ireland but suffering defeats against co-hosts USA and Pakistan.
Meet The Four Indian-Born Players In Canada’s T20 WC Squad
Navneet Dhaliwal
The former captain and current opening batter, Navneet Dhaliwal, was born in Chandigarh, India. He played age-group cricket for Punjab before moving to Canada at 22 when his family bought a gas station. In 2019, Dhaliwal debuted for Canada in T20Is, and in 2024, he made his ODI debut. Notably, he amassed a half-century in the first-ever Canada-USA contest.
Pargat Singh
Pargat Singh, a middle-order batter, was raised primarily in Jalandhar but is originally from Ropar, Punjab. After making his debut for Punjab in 2015, Pargat played alongside Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. Following his final Punjab encounter, he relocated to Canada in 2017. He made his T20I and ODI debuts for Canada in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Dilpreet Bajwa
Born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, Dilpreet Bajwa is a promising middle-order batter who moved to Canada in 2020 after facing multiple rejections from the state team in India. At just 21 years old, Bajwa has already become a key player for Canada, debuting in T20I in 2023 and playing his first ODI earlier this year.
Shreyas Movva
The wicketkeeper and vice-captain of Canada, Shreyas Movva, moved to Canada to study at Montreal’s Concordia University. Born in India, Movva is a software engineer by profession. He made his debut for Canada in 2021 and has since played seven matches in both the ODI and T20I formats.
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