5 International cricketers you didn't know were born in India

In the vast universe of cricket, ability flourishes in different parts of the world, sometimes away from a player's origins. Some cricketers from other countries have origins in India, playing for countries they eventually adopted. From associate nation legends to Test match heroes, these five players built their careers outside the subcontinent, sometimes in unexpected locations.

These cricketers demonstrate that birthplace is merely the beginning of a tale, but where you choose to write the pages matters more. Here are five tales of players who traded subcontinental sunrises for fairly different cricketing aspirations.

1. Teja Nidamanuru (Netherlands)

Try to imagine a life growing up in Vijayawada, India, before one day turning out in orange for the Dutch national team. As a child, he relocated with his family to New Zealand, where he initially fell head over heels in love with hard wickets and seaming balls. But when things in prospect there seemed congested, he made the leap of faith and became eligible to play for the Netherlands. 

Since his first game in 2022, he's gone about quietly scoring useful runs down the order and contributing to the cause with wickets, making himself one of the most dependable 'do-it-all' players in the Dutch squad. 

2. Ashish Bagai (Canada)

Born in 1982 in Delhi, he had migrated with his parents to Toronto at the age of eleven and fallen head over heels in love with Canada's cricketing landscape. By his mid-20s, Bagai was Canada's go-to wicket keeper and top order batter who could steady an innings or up the pace as required. In more than 59 ODIs, he accumulated almost 2,000 runs (a pair of centuries included) and dismissed 59 batsmen behind the wickets. He even led the team at the 2011 World Cup. 

3. Ish Sodhi (New Zealand)

Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, he moved to Auckland at the age of four, and there the spin bug bit him hard. After domestic drudgery and club cricket for years, Sodhi finally emerged into the New Zealand team in 2013. And by mid-2024, he'd taken more than a hundred international wickets across all forms. As you observe him cradling the ball and delivering it airily in flight, you tend to forget that his roots are thousands of miles away from Eden Park. His success is a testament to how early roots and new opportunities can combine to create something special.

4. Ajaz Patel (New Zealand)

Mumbai’s bustling streets were young Ajaz Patel’s playground, but it was the manicured pitches of Auckland’s club cricket that honed his craft. Now he's renowned for one of the most incredible records in Test history: all ten wickets in an innings against India at the Wankhede Stadium in December 2021. Patel's left-arm spin had Indian batsmen stumped on their own patch, making him just the third bowler in history to take all ten. 

5. Monank Patel (USA)

If someone had told Monank Patel as a young lad in Anand, Gujarat, that he was to eventually lead the U.S. national team to an incredible win against Pakistan in a T20 World Cup, that would have been a fantasy. And yet in 2016, he relocated to Florida for employment, continued playing domestic cricket, and in 2018 caught the selectors' attention. Jump forward to 2024, and he was at the crease in Dallas, captaining a ruthless young American side to a miraculous Super Over victory against one of the giants of cricket.

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