Shubman Gill hugged UAE’s Simranjeet Singh after sealing India’s nine-wicket Asia Cup victory.
Their friendship dates back to Gill’s childhood, when Simranjeet first bowled to him as a 12-year-old in Mohali.
As cricket careers diverged, Gill starring for India & Simranjeet moving to UAE, the reunion highlighted sport’s enduring connections.
The numbers told one story, India’s overwhelming nine-wicket win over UAE in just 4.3 overs, powered by Shubman Gill’s calm unbeaten 20 and Abhishek Sharma’s attacking 30. But cricket’s pulse beat strongest in a quiet moment after the final runs were scored.
Shubman Gill, now an international mainstay and Test skipper, turned straight to UAE debutant Simranjeet Singh, the bowler of those winning runs and offered a warm hug that lit up the Dubai International Stadium.
Parallel Journeys, Shared Beginnings
Their reunion was a decade in the making. Simranjeet once bowled to Gill, then 12, in the Mohali nets, before the Indian opener’s ascent to Under-19 World Cup-winning star and all-format national stalwart.
Simranjeet’s path was different: he left Punjab for UAE in 2021, becoming a coach and a club cricketer before finally breaking into the Emirates team after completing residency. Wednesday’s handshake and hug after the final ball was more than a greeting, it was a tribute to years of perseverance, memory and the unspoken bonds cricket builds.
I had an offer to practice in Dubai and came here for 20-odd days in April 2021. Then the second wave of COVID-19 struck India, and I couldn’t return. I eventually stayed back,” Simranjeet told PTI.
Beyond India's Convincing Victory
Despite India’s clinical display and Kuldeep Yadav’s three wickets in a single over skittling UAE for 57, Simranjeet found his own kind of victory. His journey from local nets to the Asia Cup spotlight, capped by Gill’s gesture, illustrated that often the game’s greatest stories play out beyond the scoreboard.
