Family's sacrifices propel Tanveer Sangha to the Cricket World Cup glory, says mother

Tanveer Sangha’s journey to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup was only possible due to a combination of his own prodigious talent and the sacrifices of his family. His mother, Upjeet Kaur, explains how she gave up her full-time job, while his sister abandoned her own sporting ambitions to help Tanveer achieve his.

Leg break spin bowler Tanveer Sangha has been selected in Australia's 18-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

This will be the first major international competition for the Indian-origin spinner, 21, who previously played for Australia in the Under-19 World Cup.

Talking to SBS Punjabi, Tanveer's mother Upjeet Kaur shared how his family's sacrifices have enriched her son's successful journey.

Tanveer wears the Baggy Green and celebrates taking a wicket. Credit: Tanveer Sangha

“I gave up my full-time job as an accountant to take Tanveer to cricket practice sessions that happened mostly on weekdays,” she said.

Many times, Ms Kaur said she had to carpool with the parents of Tanveer’s friends who were also playing cricket.

Tanveer's family moved to Australia from the northern Indian state of Punjab in 1997.

“Tanveer has a younger sister who used to be a promising sports girl too. But it was extremely difficult for me to take both of them to different sports,” said Ms Kaur.

Simran Kaur, Tanveer's sister, quit her promising sporting career to enable her mum to focus on her brother’s sporting demands.

“Everybody looks at the present state of Tanveer selected in the World Cup squad, but his journey to achieve these heights only became possible due to our family’s commitment,” said Ms Kaur.

Tanveer has seen a dramatic rise in his career since he emerged as a breakout star in the Big Bash League just after celebrating his 19th birthday in November 2021.

Initially, Tanveer performed well at volleyball, but his coach in that sport encouraged him to try out cricket as well.

He finished the BBL season as a joint third-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets at an average of 16.66.

Click on the audio above to listen to the inspiring story of Tanveer’s family support.