March 14 was a red letter day for Mahinder Pal Singh as he became one of the very few Sikh cricketers to play in Pakistan’s domestic competitions. The 21-year old budding cricketer played for Candyland team in a Patrons Trophy Grade-2 tournament.
In a country, where only seven non-Muslims have played for the national team so far, Mahinder’s story is no less than an inspiration for the minorities who dream of doing big in the game.
Expressing his excitement after making his debut in the domestic competition, Mahinder said:“I am so excited to get this opportunity to play the Patrons Trophy Grade-2 competition. I took two wickets in the first innings but unfortunately had a groin strain so could not bowl in the second innings.”
He further revealed how he was spotted during a talent hunt programme.
“I had appeared in a talent hunt programmes of Candyland in 2015 and they remembered me,” he told PTI.
A student of pharmacy, Mahinder first grabbed the limelight when he was picked as a medium pacer for an emerging players camp organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) High-Performance centre in Multan last November.
“My father, Harjeet Singh who is a doctor, has supported me a lot specially after last year I was in the headlines for becoming the first Sikh to be selected for the PCB camp. He is now very proud of me having made it to the domestic competitions,” Mahinder said.
Mahinder might have become a famous name after playing in the domestic tournament but he is under no illusion that there is still a long way to go before he realises his dream of making it big in the game.
This year, some of the top first class teams like Port Qasim Authority, ZTBL and State Bank are participating in the Patrons Trophy Grade-2 tournament and Mahinder is hoping to gain some valuable experience by playing against the top teams.
“I will learn a lot after playing against such top teams and players. Hopefully, I will become a much better player. I already feel the expectations of becoming the first from my community to reach this level of competition,” Mahinder said. “It was a proud moment for me to be selected for the PCB camp but to be playing domestic cricket is the ultimate dream come true,” he recalled.
He is also harbouring hopes of playing in the Pakistan Super League.
“The PSL is such a big platform for youngsters and I hope to be among the emerging players list in the next PSL and get noticed,” he said.