Chennai: ‘Let us go! We will talk in Hindi. You won’t hear this line often before in an interview with an Italian cricketer. But Jaspreet Singh, despite moving to Bergamo with his parents at the age of 10 22 years ago, has forgotten neither his language nor his connection with his hometown Phagwara in Punjab. The early days in Italy were not easy as his father Tirath Singh and mother Jasvir Kaur had to work as factory laborers in an unknown city.

Jaspreet said, “When we got the opportunity to go to Italy, it was a big day for my family. But we were also a little worried because it was a new country, new language and new culture. Everything was new to us. But I was thinking how to play cricket which I used to play in my childhood in my city.

It was difficult to go to a country like Italy in terms of cricket because there was hardly any proper infrastructure in this European country. He joined the local Bergamo Cricket Club which was at best a modest facility but he also completed a two-year electrician’s course to help his father in his work.

However Jasprit soon found a way to improve his cricket skills with the help of some Indian immigrants he met at the local gurudwara. They asked him to go to England to play cricket on turf wickets and while in Birmingham, he had to work as an Uber driver to meet his expenses. Jaspreet said, “When I was a kid, I used to play cricket in India and when I went to Italy, I wanted to do the same. But when I went to Italy, there was no cricket there, no real stadiums or grounds like I had seen in Punjab.

32-year-old Jaspreet, who plays in the Birmingham and District Premier League, said, “When I came to know about it, I went to England and started playing there because there were turf wickets there and to meet the expenses, I started driving an Uber car, which gave me a lot of flexibility in time as well.”

The hard work paid off and right-arm fast bowler Jasprit made his debut for Italy against Norway in 2019. Italy also came close to qualifying for the 2024 T20 World Cup but a close defeat to Ireland ended their hopes. However, the team fulfilled its dream a year later in June 2025 by topping the European regional qualifiers. Jaspreet said, “It is a matter of pride for us. We were trying to qualify for a long time. And our team has been working very hard for the last three years. And we are thankful to God that we were able to qualify for the World Cup this time.

He said, “We have not just come to participate in the World Cup, we have also come to compete.” For Jasprit, the visit to India is not just a return to his motherland but also an opportunity to experience the world-class cricket facilities in the country. “It’s an amazing feeling for us,” he said. I have been seeing these grounds since childhood. Our great legends like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli have played in these grounds. Jasprit said, “Coming here and playing in that environment… Chidambaram Stadium (practice match), Eden Gardens, Wankhede. It is a dream come true for all of us. “We feel very proud that we have come this far.”