Shubman Gill, who is set to mark his return in the T20Is in the Asia Cup 2025, will first be up against his childhood friend Simranjeet Singh ahead of Team India's clash on Wednesday, September 10, against hosts UAE. Ludhiana bowler vividly remembers his face-off with the T20I vice-captain decades back, when the batter was just a 12-year-old, who would come to training at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) nets in Mohali.
"I have known Shubman since he was a kid, but I don't know if he remembers me," Simranjeet Singh, the left-arm spinner from the UAE, recollects with a shy smile.
"It was around 2011-12, and Shubman must have been 11 or 12 at the max. We used to train at the PCA Academy in Mohali from 6am to 11am. Shubman would come, accompanied by his father, at around 11 am.
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"I was someone who would also do a lot of extra bowling after our session. Don't know if he would recognize me, but during those days, I had bowled a lot to Shubman," said the journeyman cricketer, whose life changed decisively during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Left-arm bowling has always been a thorn in the flesh for India for a number of years. By facing Simranjeet against the UAE, Gill would be keen to iron out chinks, and look to take on his childhood friend.
Lalchand Rajput lavishes huge praise on Simranjeet, says he is a very crafty bowler
The 35-year-old Simranjeet has received a massive vote of confidence from UAE head coach Lalchand Rajput, who stated he is a massive asset for us, and is a very crafty operator.
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"Not every left-arm spinner in T20Is has the heart to give the ball air and flight it consistently. Simran knows how to buy wickets with flight," Rajput said about the Punjab man, who has 15 wickets from 12 T20Is with an economy rate of less than six.
The off-spinner also bowled well against Afghanistan as he returned with figures of 1/24, bowling 11 dot balls.
"I played a lot of district cricket in Punjab. I had finally made it to the Ranji probables in 2017. I had also bowled a lot at the erstwhile Kings XI Punjab nets whenever they had sessions in Mohali back in the day," he recalled.
A dejected Simran , who was hoping for a breakthrough in the Indian team, could not find a spot in a spin dominated country. After years and years of toil, the Punjab lad's life turned upside down when COVID-19 happened. It was at this point that Simran realized that he wouldn't possibly make it to the Indian side.
"I had an offer to practice in Dubai, and I had come here for 20 odd days in April 2021. And then the massive second wave hit, and there was another lock down in India. I couldn't go back for months and eventually ended up staying back," Simranjeet said.
To be able to represent the UAE, Simran had to play three seasons of domestic cricket, and once he obliged that mandate, the left-arm spinner got contacted by UAE coach Rajput, requesting for a trial.
"From 2021, once I settled down in Dubai, I started earning decent money through coaching junior players. I was playing club cricket and coaching juniors. That way, I was able to run my household.
"Once I got into the UAE team, I got a central contract with Emirates Cricket Board and things are looking good," he said.
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When quizzed to the 35-year-old's choice of which team his family will support, the spinner cheekily stated that while his dream was to play for India, now he is playing for the UAE, and his family members will support the country he is playing for.
"That's a tough one. The dream was to play for India, but now that I am playing for the UAE, I think they will support the UAE," he chuckled.
