T20 WC: USA’s Harmeet Singh cherishes homecoming at Wankhede Stadium for India clash
New Delhi, Feb 6 : When Harmeet Singh steps onto the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening, draped in the navy blue and red of the USA jersey when they take on India, the left-arm spin bowling all-rounder’s life will come full circle.
Saturday's clash on day one of the Men’s T20 World Cup will see Harmeet return to play cricket in the city where he spent the first 27 years of his life chasing a dream that seemed perpetually out of reach till a move to the USA made it possible.
Harmeet's journey from Mumbai's domestic circuit to winning the 2012 U19 World Cup with India and now representing the USA at the Men’s T20 World Cup is a story of reinvention, resilience, and the unbelievable fact that life can indeed come full circle.
“Playing in Wankhede has always been special. Growing up in Mumbai and playing most of my cricket in Mumbai till the first 27 years of my life, it means a lot coming back to Mumbai and playing a game at Wankhede, and that too a World Cup game.
“So, it's very special, firstly personally, but then when I look at it as a whole event, it means a lot for the USA also as a cricket-playing nation – getting that world stage to show what the team is all about and what cricket means in the USA and how hard everybody has worked to be here,” recalled Harmeet in an exclusive conversation with IANS ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Once hailed by Australian legend Ian Chappell as a promising talent, Harmeet's career was marred by controversy – spot-fixing allegations from which he was later cleared by the BCCI and being booked for driving a car on a railway station platform. Though he cleared his name and continued to perform – his last first-class game in India saw him pick up a six-wicket haul – the doors to national selection remained firmly shut.
"I needed that change because what was happening in India was like a stamp: no matter how much I performed, even my last first-class game was a six-wicket haul, and that didn't move anyone. No selector was moving, and it was like I was performing and no one was watching. When I made the change, I did the same things that I was doing there. It's not like I have become consistent or started doing something different overnight,” he said.
The move to the USA six years ago changed everything. Not his game – the same controlled left-arm spin bowling and chipping in with handy batting – but the reception to it. “Whatever teams I play for in any tournament, I try to win championships. I have been able to do that and create an impact. It's not easy, you also know, to be consistent in the T20 format as a bowler or all-rounder.
“Wherever I have played, whichever league I have played, I have always done well only. Mostly, once I made that change, the same performance was only getting appreciation. Growing up in Mumbai, there was no other way to get into the Mumbai team other than performing, and I knew how to perform,” he said.
Since moving to the USA, Harmeet has thrived – becoming first pick in the Major League Cricket draft during his cooling-off period, leading Seattle Orcas to the finals in his debut season, and establishing himself as a crucial all-rounder for the national team.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, he demonstrated his value with 2-24 against South Africa, dismissing Quinton de Kock and David Miller, before contributing a vital 38 off 22 balls with the bat, though it went in vain. His recent form has been equally impressive: 21 wickets in 21 T20 games since 2025, with an economy rate of 7 and a strike rate of 19. 4.
“Since I moved to the USA, there is always appreciation and reward towards the performance. It's not like aap andhere mei teer chalaye jaa rahe ho aur kahi lag hi nahi raha (You are shooting arrows in the dark and you can't hit anywhere).
“Since that thing has changed in my life, it has helped me a lot because games are live; no one can say whether you have performed or not. It doesn't go unnoticed – it is always noticed. Since then, it has only been nice, and it has worked for me. I am glad I made that decision and made a career out of the sport I love,” added Harmeet.
Harmeet also has the company of his former Mumbai friends – pacer Saurabh Netravalkar and batting all-rounder Shubham Ranjane. The diversity of the USA squad – players from Caribbean, South African, Pakistani, and Indian origins – has forged an identity built on fearlessness and mutual respect. “The Caribbean players bring their way of playing cricket, as do South Africans and Pakistanis, and we Indians know what we bring to the table.
“That common ground is playing fearless cricket, and that's been our brand of cricket we have been following. We respect the opponents, but we don't put anybody on a pedestal, especially when we step on the field, and then off the field there is huge respect. But then we want to win almost every game we play.
“All the experience we carry from the Indian turf gives us a head start in the fact that we know the conditions and what to do and share with our players. All that helps a lot, and hopefully, with that little bit of experience which we are able to share, we can use it to our advantage.
“From the last World Cup till now, even in League 2, we have done well; we are on top, and we have been winning most series wherever we go. It's only getting stronger – the bond and winning always helps. It makes us feel that we are doing something right, and it's been working for us. I am very excited for this World Cup because we have only become stronger and better as a team,” said Harmeet.
That fearlessness will be tested to its limits when the USA faces India at the Wankhede, even as Harmeet is scrambling to secure seats even for his own family and friends in Mumbai. But rather than being overawed by the occasion or their opponents, Harmeet and his teammates are approaching the tournament with quiet confidence.
"People think we exceeded, let's say, expectations at the last World Cup. But we did not, if you ask our 15 players. We also gave a tough game to India and South Africa, and they were the finalists of the 2024 World Cup. I don't think as a team, we think that we are less than anyone. On our day, we all are match winners, and we can win a game on our own, over anybody.
“Again, to set boundaries, we will limit ourselves. I am not setting any boundaries for this World Cup. It suits an Indian or a South African or an Australian player to say that, okay, we will go out there and win the World Cup. But for us, I feel I'm not setting any boundaries because we don't want to limit ourselves,” he said.
He refuses to set limits on how far the USA can go. "We don't want to just make the Super 8s. Why not the semi-final? Why not the final? Why not win it? The way we are playing cricket and the way we are together, I feel if we keep doing the right things under pressure, handling pressure will be the most important thing in India, more than showing your skill set. If we handle pressure well, then there are no limits,” he said.
Amidst the mega-event frenzy, Harmeet is keenly aware of the challenges posed by Indian conditions – smaller boundaries, flatter wickets, and the unique characteristics of venues like Wankhede. "Sometimes Wankhede can be different because it has not had a lot of games recently, so it might be a fresh wicket, and we don't know how flat it will be. Normally, in white-ball cricket, they give flatter wickets.
“But because it's a World Cup, they also want the wickets to last. A lot of games are going to happen, so maybe they'll give a lot of grass covering, so then plans change. There are a lot of things, but I'm not fixing up a plan in mind. It’s more like keeping it flexible, so that if this happens, we'll do this, or if that happens, we'll do that. It’s about having my plans in place and then manoeuvring as and when needed,” he said.
His approach to the format reflects a philosophy honed through years of experience across multiple leagues and conditions. "T20 cricket is about execution. Initially I didn't believe in luck, but T20 cricket is a little bit about luck also. Mostly I try to keep my plans in place and try to execute them to my best ability, and then I don't complicate things much because the more you complicate, the more you are going to find yourself in trouble. T20 cricket is about clarity – it's about expressing, being fearless, and executing under pressure."
Beyond personal redemption, Harmeet sees this World Cup as crucial for USA cricket's development. “We coach a lot of kids at the grassroots level, and we are already connected there. We are all rooted with the smaller kids in America who are picking up the bat and ball. It really means a lot to all of us.
“We keep inspiring the next generation and motivating them to play the sport. If there is money in infrastructure and sport, a lot of American parents will allow their kids to play and pursue the sport also. Right now it's more, let's say, more passionate kids who love the sport, and they are playing,” he said.
He draws parallels with India's transformation in the early 2000s when administrative vision and investment revolutionised the sport. "The USA has everything – it just needs good administrators, people with vision, investors, and infrastructure. If all that happens, the USA will probably be the next Australia.
“Acceptance has happened; USOPC is getting aligned, and it will help us a lot. Athletes will be taken care of. Infrastructure is the roadblock between the USA being a full member nation versus where we are right now. The talent and pool of players are there – we just need the structure."
As he prepares to walk out at Wankhede Stadium wearing the USA colours, Harmeet will cherish a very special homecoming, built on the back of chasing his dreams and the willingness to cross geographical boundaries. "Each one of us in the team has their own story, and everyone has come a long way from where we all started. That's also what America is about, the land of opportunities.
“The guys who were deprived of opportunities in their own countries made a move, came to America with new aspirations and are still playing the same sport. Everybody has written their own script. Here, we are playing our second World Cup together, and playing it in India will mean even more because Wankhede is, luckily, my home this time.
“So, it means even more personally. But it's not just about me – it's more about the team. It's more about the journey of all of us, and then we go out there, and I'm hoping that we are able to express ourselves in our best way,” he concluded.