The period that we are living in now can be described as the Golden Age of Indian cricket. After the dazzling triumph of the Under-19 team, India’s future dominance in the game appears to be assured. Nowadays, the influence of Indian cricketers stretches across the globe.
In the ICC T20 World Cup that began on February 7, 2026, India’s stamp is there for all to see. Three of the participating teams are being captained by men whose roots lie in Indian soil, though they now carry the flags of foreign nations.
Alongside them are two Pakistan-born captains, highlighting the fact that the Indian subcontinent continues to uphold the destiny of world cricket.
Take the United States, for example. Their captain is Monank Dilipbhai Patel, a 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman born in the town of Anand in Gujarat. As a youngster, he represented Gujarat at the under-16 and under-18 levels before his life carried him to the USA.
Patel moved permanently to the USA in 2016, setting up a restaurant in New Jersey. Yet, the pull of cricket did not relax its grip upon him. He became one of the pioneers of America’s cricket revolution. He made his international debut in 2019 and led the side to several historic wins, including the unforgettable group-stage victory over Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup. With four international centuries (three in ODIs and one in T20Is), Patel has become the face of American cricket.
Standing beside him is the vice-captain of the USA, who is another Indian player. His name is Jasdeep (Jessy) Singh and he was born in Queens, New York, to Punjabi parents. New Jersey is now his home and like Patel, he represents the omnipresent touch of India in American cricket.
In fact, the US squad is a colourful blend of subcontinental talent because nearly a dozen players can trace their origins to India or Pakistan, while Sri-Lankan-born Shehan Jayasuriya adds further Asian colour to the mixture. He carries a famous surname, though he is not related to Sri Lanka’s legendary opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya.
The Indian impact continues in Oman, which is also captained by another Indian player, Jatinder Singh. Born in Ludhiana in 1989, Jatinder followed his father Gurmail Singh, a carpenter with the Royal Oman Police, to the Gulf, where cricket became his passport to fame and fortune.
After making his T20I debut in 2015 and his ODI debut in 2019, he blossomed as a destructive opener. His blazing 107 off just 62 balls against Nepal in 2021 announced his arrival and his unbeaten 118 versus Papua New Guinea remains the highest ODI score by an Omani batsman. Today, Jatinder stands tall as Oman’s leading run-getter, guiding a team largely composed of players with Indian and Pakistani roots under the supervision of their chief coach – the celebrated Sri Lankan Duleep Mendis.
Even Italy’s squad looks like a subcontinental union. The team has two Indians, two Pakistanis and a Sri Lankan, though the captain is the multi-talented South African Wayne Madsen, a former international hockey star turned cricketer.
Canada, too, looks eastward for its leadership. The captain is all-rounder Dilpreet Bajwa. Now only 23, he is one of the youngest captains in the tournament. He was born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, and after migrating to Canada in 2020, his flair with the bat and ball earned him swift recognition. He now leads a Canadian side containing no less than 12 players of Indian origin.
Elsewhere, Zimbabwe will be marching to battle under Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, while the UAE is captained by Muhammad Waseem, another player of Pakistani origin. In the Emirates, this is hardly surprising, for cricket is mostly played by settlers from India and Pakistan.
For many Indians and Pakistanis, this global presence is a source of immense pride. It is a sign that their cricketing culture has conquered continents. Yet, there is a negative side to this rosy picture. That is because the dominance of expatriate players suggests that in countries like the USA, Canada and Italy, cricket has yet to capture the imagination of the local population.
True worldwide growth will come only when children in Italy, the USA, and Canada dream of wielding a bat as passionately as those in India or Pakistan.
Now that is the challenge before the International Cricket Council (ICC). The world’s cricket governing body must try to ensure that cricket is not merely the passion of the Indians living there, but a sport that is played seriously by the native inhabitants of these countries. Only then will the game be loved worldwide and not just remain a sport played by the migrants who currently keep their flags flying high.
This post was last modified on February 8, 2026 5:06 am