Singh reflects on ‘important’ NPCA tournament, takes trip to India for personal development

Kenyan second wicket keeper Sukhdeep Singh was a picture of calm after his team - Sikh Union- on Saturday night missed out on an opportunity to clinch the annual Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association T20 tournament after falling by 45 runs to eventual champions Swamibapa.

As the team skipper, the young 22 year old led the team into the quiet locker room and after a few minutes of team talk, he came out, reflecting on what was a ‘career building’ series for him and his teammates.

“It's been a good ride despite us not winning,” Singh said post-game. “There might look to be some quiet in here [referencing the locker room] but one thing that has come out from our meeting is ‘we played good cricket.’ Hearing that from the outside cricket community makes me and the squad happy about the job we did all through the tournament.”

Sikh Union produced one of the biggest upsets this year when they defeated pre-season favorites Kanbis by 5 wickets in the eliminator series to book a place into the semifinals against Sir Ali Muslim Club. The clash was however canceled after Sir Ali were disqualified following incidents emanating after their earlier loss to Swamibapa.

Sikh Union then put up a brave fight under the SCLPS floodlights, putting up 155 runs in the second innings thanks to Singh’s 33-ball 34 and Osama Aslam’s 53 runs.

“It was awesome to play in the finals and in front of our families,” Sunny - Singh said. “We have a lot of really young guys who were making their first big finals appearance and for them, it's all about living the moment and making use of it.”

From Singh’s assessment, what he picked up in the series was everything to do with ‘unity’ and ‘maturity’, virtues he said were of huge significance in their deep run.

“I saw a lot of maturity, responsibility and accountability in our team. As a skipper that gives me pride,” the top-order batsman said.

As the team gears up for a 50 overs knockout series, Sukhdeep Singh confirmed that he was embarking on an important trip to Kandivali University in Mumbai, India with teammate Raj Manji that would see him look to add more skill set and mindset to his game.

NPCA T20: Swamibapa beat Sikh Union to lift Super Division title

“I am excited about the learning/mentorship opportunity in India which is a top cricketing country,” Singh said.

Joining him in India will be top coach Umesh Patwal who as per Singh, made communication to him about teaching him on how to quickly adapt to T20 and 50 overs formats.

“Patwal has worked with the world’s top cricketers and wants to work with us on how to stop thinking too much when caught between the two formats,” the Kenyan international and Strathmore University student said.

As for his return, Singh was hopeful that the next team captain will steer the team well in his absence and looked forward to joining up the team in a few weeks time.