In the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the Italian team will play its first match against Scotland tomorrow (9 February). The Italian team, which is playing for the first time in the T20 World Cup, has many players who were born in other countries. Jaspreet Singh’s name is also included in this. Right-arm fast bowler Jaspreet was born in Phagwara, Punjab. However, like other players, he has not come to Italy after playing cricket from other countries, rather his initial training also took place in Italy itself.

When Jaspreet was only 10 years old, his parents took him to the Italian city of Bergamo. The early days in Italy were not easy for his family. His father Tirath Singh and mother Jasveer Kaur had to work as factory laborers in an unknown city.

Jasprit talks about his journey before the match against Scotland at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, ‘When we got the chance 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 wondering how to play cricket which I used to play in my childhood in my city.

Drove a taxi to become a cricketer

In terms of cricket, it was difficult to go to a country like Italy because this European country did not have that good infrastructure. Jaspreet says, ‘When I was a child, 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, there were no stadiums or grounds of any kind, like I had seen in Punjab.

After a few days, Jaspreet joined the local Bergamo Cricket Club, where there were few facilities. Along with playing cricket, he also completed a two-year electrician course to help his father in his work. Meanwhile, Jaspreet soon finds a way to improve his cricket skills with the help of some Indian immigrants he meets at the local gurudwara. He was advised to go to England to play cricket on turf wickets.

Jaspreet followed the advice and moved to Birmingham, England but had to work as an Uber driver to meet his expenses. 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 Uber cars.’

What did Jasprit say about playing in India?

Italy also came very close to qualification 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 Region Qualifiers.

Jaspreet said, ‘It is a matter of pride for us. We have been trying to qualify for a long time and our team has been working very hard for the last three years. We are thankful to God that we were able to qualify for the World Cup this time. We have not just come to participate in the World Cup, we have also come to compete.

For Jasprit, coming to India is not just a return to his motherland but also an opportunity to experience the world class cricket facilities in the country. He said, ‘It is an amazing feeling for us. 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 on these grounds. 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 reached this far.