Harmeet Singhformer India U19 World Cup The champion has carved an extraordinary path in cricket, now represents USA on the global stage. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Harmeet’s journey started with his passion for football, which later shifted to cricket when his talent was showcased at a summer camp. His early days were marked by record-breaking performances in school cricket alongside stars like Rohit Sharma and the guidance of legendary coach Padmakar Shivalkar. Harmeet remembers these formative years as the foundation of his cricketing dreams.
In an exclusive chat with Cricket Times, Harmeet revealed how he faced multiple challenges for USA, from adjusting to the evolving cricket infrastructure to balancing family life with a hectic work schedule. However, his determination paid off and was highlighted by his team’s resounding victory Pakistan in the year 2024 T20 World Cup. Reflecting on his IPL stint Rajasthan Royals and Harmeet, who continues to bond with his U19 teammates, continues to inspire with his tenacity and vision for the growth of USA cricket.
Here are some highlights from the interview:
Q: How did your cricket journey begin?
Harmeet: Just like any other child in India. I used to play football in my school, I was in St Joseph’s Orlem, Malad and then I grew up playing football till class five, but then I played cricket with my friends in my building and flats and there was a summer camp for all that. my father left me near our house, so I went there. I love sports and it’s different when you play cricket ball and the coaches also said you have talent so you should do sports and then before you know it I started playing cricket and changed my school to Swami. Vivekananda, Borivali where Rohit (Rohit Sharma) had also studied and cricket was their main sport and then we went on to break Harris Shield records where Dilip Sardesai sir saw me and Bombay Gymkhana and that’s how I started.
Q: Who were your idols growing up?
Harmeet: He became my coach first Padmakar Shivalkar sir and for me he picked 600 first class wickets and failed to make his international debut which speaks volumes about his class and determination that he never gave up and continued his career. watch too much Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly I grew up left handed as you know, yes I loved watching Yuvraj and Sourav as on screen.
Q: What challenges did you face after moving to the US?
Harmeet: It was not easy in the USA because when I came here there was nothing like what we see now Major League, Minor League local setup USA Cricket works well and you know the contracts and all that which was not the case there. also the infrastructure, the stadium that’s not there in Dallas, but we were told that it’s all coming in 3-4 years, regardless of 2, 3, 4 years, and again, I bet, and when I went there during COVID, there was no first-class season in India, so that In 2020, I was like, I’m not going to do anything at this point, I’d rather go there and, you know, check everything out, and then I liked Seattle, so I signed the contract there. They did the visa and everything and then I moved there with my family.
I had a lot of challenges, my kids were here, so it wasn’t easy for the wife either, you know, take care because I was always traveling and playing coaching, so she chose not to work because the kids were young. and then now we’ve moved to houston so when i’m home i’m traveling less and now i’m playing a lot of international franchise cricket so it’s tough on the family. It’s the life I’ve always dreamed of as a cricketer, so again I have no complaints, but you know at every stage you’re in life you’re up against it, there’s always going to be some challenges but you still have to accept them and find a solution. he
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Q: How did it feel to beat Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup?
Harmeet: I think since we won that game and not only did we win the game but we continued to give India and South Africa a really tough game, so we moved a lot of figures over there in the world cup and a lot of people were shocked to see the talent we had. But after the World Cup, we’ve got a lot of USA players that have started getting franchise attention, so what I feel is, you know franchise Cricket, it’s about rubbing shoulders with the best. in you and around you and you know then you make a name for yourself and that only helps you do better.
Just like how Afghanistan have gone from strength to strength and their guys are now trusted as one of the best franchise cricketers, if it’s an Afghan player, wherever you go they pick him immediately, I think that’s the name we want to get. and we’re going towards it like there’s a couple of guys who are getting consistent opportunities, uh there’s a couple of guys in franchise cricket and I think it’s just you grow from here and you know how it develops it’s really exciting and you know now we have one suitable stadium or maybe two suitable stadiums, but if we have very good infrastructure in the coming years, you know, any test center like Australia playing with the Nation or any test fast bowlers and everything to practice uh, so I think That’s why we have every nothing will happen.
Q: Do you still keep in touch with your U19 teammates?
Harmeet: Yes, we speak Vihari (Hanuman Vihari) texted between them, he asked me to help one of the Hyderabad players to go to USA and so yes, he has always been nice and Sandeep (Sandeep Sharma) here and there and then Kamal Paasi He is a good friend after the World Cup. And even Mandeep Singh good friend i also played in 2010 world cup yes sanju (Sanju Samson) I met at the World Cup, Kuldeep (Kuldeep Yadav) I also played a lot of cricket, Chahal (Yuzvendra Chahal) and all these children flow like this (Akhar Patel) I was there in the India under-19 team when we went to the Asia cup, I think it was one of the tours, I think yes then we were all at the same level and playing together and now at least all three of them I’m happy about that. They are playing in India which is very good.
Q: You were part of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Tell us about this experience?
Harmeet: it was one of the best, and it turned out to be one of the scariest later when all the adjustments happened, but it was the best in the sense that I got to share the dressing room with him. Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane and all the stalwarts of world cricket. Brad Hodge was there, one of the best franchise cricketers or the best T20 team player, so all the experiences I took from there I still try to use in my career. I wish I could have got more opportunities in IPL but I only got one game so again I wouldn’t say I failed there but if there were enough opportunities and I failed it would be good but I just wish there were more opportunities in white ball cricket i would like India.
