Harpreet Bhatia promises bright new start for UAE with his belated crack at international captaincy
Given the late run Harpreet Bhatia has made to international cricket captaincy, maybe a couple of days’ extra wait will not matter too much. The former Indian Premier League batter has enjoyed a whirlwind few months. Back in December he was still fully ensconced in Indian domestic cricket. Then he accepted a call from Lalchand Rajput, the UAE head coach, and his personal situation has altered…
Harpreet Bhatia, a former Indian Premier League player, has been given the opportunity to lead the UAE cricket team in his first ever international captaincy. Though the appointment came belatedly, Bhatia is excited about the challenge. He has already spent six years in Indian domestic cricket, serving as captain for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
He was formerly vice-captain for India's Under-19 team. Bhatia moved to Dubai, was granted citizenship, and was thrust into the UAE national team after Lalchand Rajput, the UAE head coach, saw potential in him. He has enjoyed a promising debut tour to Nepal. Despite administrative issues, Bhatia and fellow new recruits Akshdeep Nath and Adeeb Usmani did not make the initial trip to Jersey for the UAE's warm-up matches, but they did manage to reach Scotland for the Cricket World Cup League Two (CWCL2) tri-series.
The opening one-day international was abandoned due to rain, but the UAE will try again against Canada in Forfarshire Cricket Club on Wednesday. Bhatia is looking forward to leading the team and giving the players freedom to showcase their skills. He believes in keeping things simple and has given the players the authority to back their own plans.
The UAE team is currently far from the top four places, but Bhatia is determined to play every game. He has spoken to his family in India about his first game in charge and they are supportive of his leadership.
Written by urgent.news from The National UAE's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
