Punjabi and Aussie, leggie Sangha wants to rock India

Gaurav Joshi

Sydney, January 27

Australian leg-spinners have always been associated with blonde hair, blue eyes and the odd can of baked beans for a diet. Now there is a new leg-spinner on the block and his favourite food is matar paneer and garlic naan. Meet Australia’s new spin sensation — Tanveer Sangha, already being touted as a possible successor to Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. The 18-year-old from the southwest of Sydney is the second-highest wicket-taker at the ongoing Under-19 World Cup in South Africa.

For now, young Tanveer just wants to edge Australia past India in the Super League quarterfinal on Tuesday. It will be first time Tanveer would be playing against a nation which holds a special place in his heart.

Tanveer’s father, Joga Sangha, hails from Rahimpur, a village 20km from Jalandhar. Joga moved to Australia in 1997 for education before eventually settling down in the southwestern suburbs of Sydney.

Kabaddi over cricket!

“When I came to Australia, my main problem was language. I didn’t speak much English because I grew up in rural Punjab. We came from a middle-class, not-so-rich family, so to get settled in Australia at the start was tough,” Joga told the Tribune. Joga worked on a farm that was owned by a local Punjabi. Luckily for him, not only did the farmer provide him an income, he also helped him find a traditional Sikh bride. Joga might have discovered the love of his life, but he still didn’t have any affection towards cricket.

“I’m a sportsperson, but it was mostly kabaddi or wrestling or volleyball. I never even watched cricket,” he said.

Turn to leg-spin

Like his father, Tanveer wasn’t obsessed with cricket either. Growing up in Sydney, he would prefer to watch and play volleyball alongside his father at the local gurudwara. During the summer vacations Tanveer would travel to Rahimpur and spend a month playing with neighbourhood kids. The annual summer vacation trips to Punjab came to a halt when he was 14 as he started to master leg-spin bowling.

Punjabi boy

“I haven’t been to India for four or five years now due to my cricket commitments. But I loved it there, there were always people around to play with and we have a great family there,” Tanveer recalls.

While Tanveer admits he isn’t the most fluent in Hindi, he can speak Punjabi and definitely understand it. He recalls the time Australia U-16s played against Pakistan and how they started speaking in Punjabi with him. “There was some good banter and I guess it’s great because I know what they were saying,” he says with a smile.

Come Tuesday, Tanveer is bound to hear plenty of Hindi as Australia take on India. But foremost in his mind is leading the men in yellow to victory.

Backing Australia: Joga

Joga Sangha has no doubt about his loyalties. “I will be going for Australia,” Joga said. “This country has given me so much and of course now Tanveer is representing the country.” And what about the Sangha family in Rahimpur? “They will still say Tanveer hails from our village,” he said. Incidentally, another Sangha — Jason Jaskirat Singh Sangha — was the captain of Australia U-19 team that lost the final to India two years ago. His father, Kuldip, has roots in village Lodhipur in Nawanshahar in Punjab.