Ex-India bowler Rudra Pratap Singh senior's son Harry Singh has earned an English call-up as he has been selected in the England Under-19 cricket team, who will lock horns with Sri Lanka Under-19 side in a bilateral series.
Coming from Lucknow, RP Singh, who featured in two ODIs for India in 1986 against Australia, shifted to England in the late 1990s and took up coaching assignments with Lancashire county club and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
However, it will be a good opportunity for the junior RP who will be eyeing to display consistent performances from hereon in order to earn an England call-up which already has cut-throat competition in the batting department.
However, Harry’s father RP Singh believes that the youngster still has a task at hand as he is well aware of the challenges that South Asians especially Indian-origin players have faced over the years while representing England junior sides and also spoke about how tough the journey from there to the top level is. Harry Singh is an opening batter for the Lancashire 2nd XI.
“A few days ago, we got a call from the ECB that Harry has been picked for the England U-19 team, which will play the Sri Lanka U-19 team at home,” said RP Singh while speaking to The Indian Express.
“It’s not easy, you need a bit of luck and lots of runs to make it at the top level. I have seen many cricketers in the 90s who used to do well in domestic cricket, but they failed drastically when they represented the Indian team. As Harry grows, he will have to make those technical adjustments which every cricketer does,” he added.
The 57-year old’s daughter too represented the Lancashire U-19 team before choosing to pursue a career in medicine.
Harry began playing cricket at the age of eight. Singh says that his son was good at football too but as he grew up, his interest in cricket kept increasing. It was then that the family decided that its lone son will play cricket under his father’s coaching.