World Cup 2023: Who is Tanveer Sangha, Indian-origin taxi driver's son in Australia's 18-member squad

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Australia on Monday announced their provisional squad for the World Cup 2023 in India. The 18-member squad made two contrasting headlines. One was the exclusion of star batter Marnus Labuschagne, while the other was about two uncapped youngsters on the cusp of making it to the big event which kicks start from October 5.

Tanveer Sangha and Aaron Hardie are the two uncapped players. It's the inclusion of the former which has garnered a lot of attention. The reasons behind this are many, however, one which has caught the attention in cricket-crazy India is Tanveer's Indian roots.

Tanveer Sangha Family Background

The 21-year-old leg-spinner is the son of a taxi driver named Joga Sangha who migrated to Australia in 1997 from Rahimpur, a village near Punjab's Jalandhar in India. He came to Australia for education but now works as a taxi driver in Sydney. Tanveer's mother Upneet Sangha works as an accountant and the family lives in the southwestern suburbs of Sydney.

Tanveer Sangha Cricket Career

Tanveer Sangha has predominantly made a name for himself in the T20 circuit. However, he shot to fame by finishing as the leading wicket-taker for Australia at the U-19 World Cup 2020. He picked a total of 15 wickets in six games including two four-wicket hauls and a five-fer. In the match against India, he clean bowled India's highest run-scorer Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Tanveer Sangha Domestic Cricket Stats

He capitalised on his form by picking 21 wickets in 15 matches of Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21 for Sydney Thunder. Only four more bowlers finished with more wickets than him. He picked 16 wickets in 12 matches in the following season. He was majorly out of action last year and did not play a single BBL game with a stress fracture of the back.

Currently plying his trade with Birmingham Phoenix in the men's Hundred 2023, Sangha has played only eight first-class matches and 5 List A matches for New South Wales. He has picked 24 and 7 wickets in the two formats respectively. His 28 T20 outings have seen him pick 37 wickets at an average of 18.43 and an economy rate of 7.46.

Sangha played his last List A (50-over match) in June 2022 and would be hoping to retain his place when the final squad is trimmed to 15. Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa are the two other specialist spinners named in the provisional squad.