"You couldn't speak your mind, I felt suffocated" - Simi Singh on why he left India for Ireland
Like any other kid from the country who loved cricket, Simi Singh also dreamed of playing for India one day.
He grew up in a locality close to the PCA Stadium in Mohali and enrolled in the cricket academy there at a young age. By doing so, Simi began his long-drawn journey to becoming a professional cricketer.
Rising through the ranks in age-group cricket, Simi Singh enjoyed some fantastic outings for Punjab's U-17 outfit and looked set to be picked in their U-19 team. However, he failed to make the squad, and that somewhat disheartened him.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, here's what the Ireland all-rounder had to say about his early cricketing days in Punjab:
"I was playing [a] U-19 tournament in Mohali and I scored almost 400 runs in four games. I was in the U-17 Punjab team, but I didn't get picked for the U-19 Punjab team, which is obviously more significant to get picked for. So I felt I missed an opportunity there.
He continued:
"It wasn’t that they were only picking U-19 players because some of the players from U-17 were also getting picked. I was the highest scorer in the group and still I didn't get picked."
The following season, Simi Singh wasn't able to record a similar impact, and that effectively ended his chances of representing Punjab at the U19 level. He said:
"The next year, due to lack of runs I wasn’t picked in any of the age-group teams. So, that's the point actually, when I decided I wanted to play somewhere else where I can get a better opportunity and that was the main reason that I started looking into opportunities abroad."
It was my dream to play for India: Simi Singh
For any professional cricketer to take such a tough call so early in his career is never easy. Usually, they make these decisions slightly further down the road. For instance, former Indian U-19 captain Unmukt Chand decided to take a No Objection Certificate to represent the USA cricket team only recently.
However, Simi Singh was just 19 years old when he realized he wasn't receiving answers for why he hadn't made it up the ladder despite performing well. This is when he made the decision to look for opportunities elsewhere in the hopes of playing international cricket consistently. He stated:
"Yeah, it was very difficult decision because I obviously wanted to play for India. I played U-14, U-15 and U-17 for Punjab and was probably in the top 2-3 openers in the state. So, from there on to not being in the camp, if you're not playing for the state, it's difficult."
The all-rounder went on to add:
"Then the coaches treat you differently. You can't speak your mind. And I kind of felt suffocated as well, because then you're not really enjoying your cricket."
That tough decision has helped Simi Singh now become a regular in the Irish cricket team. He is expected to be on the plane to Australia for the 2022 T20 World Cup.