25 Facts about Monty Panesar: The English Turbanator

Monty Panesar will always be remembered as a distinct character in English cricket. Panesar was referred to as the England’s next long-term spinner in the media. Early in his career, former England head coach Duncan Fletcher described him as ‘the best finger spinner in the world.’ His eagerness and devotion to the game coupled with spectacular performances made him a fan favorite quickly. However, after enjoying close to three years of top-class cricket, his career graph began to plummet due personal problems and slump in form.

1.Born on:

Mudhsuden Singh Panesar was born April 25, 1982, in the urban town of Luton in Bedfordshire.

2. Migration to England:

Panesar’s father, Paramjit Singh, who is in the construction business, along with his mother Gursharan Kaur, migrated from Punjab to Luton in 1979.

3. Family:

Panesar has a younger brother, Isher Singh Panesar, and sister, Charanjit Kaur Panesar.

4. Education:

Panesar was educated at St. Matthew’s Infant and Junior Schools and Stopsley High School, Luton. He later went to Bedford Modern School. After getting out of the high school, he attained a degree in computer science from Loughborough University.

5. Early cricketing life:

As a schoolboy, Panesar played cricket at Bedford Modern School for Stopsley High School, Dunstable Town CC and Luton Indian CC.

6. A medium pacer turned spinner:

Panesar was originally started out as a medium-pace bowler during his initial years before watching over to spin when 16. He made this decision following the advice from the Northamptonshire coaching staff. Paul Taylor during a school coaching session

7. England Under-19s:

Monty Panesar represented the England U-19s in 2001. The team was led by future England player Ian Bell.

8. First Class debut:

The left-arm spinner made his first-class debut in 2001 at the age of 19 against Leicestershire. He did well, taking eight wickets in the match including 4–11 in the second innings while bowling 16 maidens.

9. Test debut:

By 2005, Panesar would regularly grab the headlines for his performances for his county side Leicestershire. Many asked for his inclusion in the team for the 2006 England’s tour to India. Despite competition from spinners like Ian Blackwell, Shaun Udal, and Alex Ludon, Panesar made his way into the team for the tour. He eventually, made his international debut on March 1st at Nagpur.

10. The special moment:

Panesar’s first Test wicket was of little master Sachin Tendulkar.

11. A BBC petition for his inclusion:

Panesar toured to Australia to play in the 2006–07 Ashes series. However, Panesar was could not find place in the England team for the first two Tests of the series, which led to a petition being started by BBC Radio Five Live, calling out for his inclusion.

12. Memorable debut on Australian soil:

Panesar, eventually, played his first Test on Australian soil after he was selected to play in the third Test at the WACA in Perth. He stunned everyone with his incredible bowling show and finished the first innings with figures of 5 for 92. His victims included Justin Langer, Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne and Brett Lee.

13. Finishes as joint 3^rd highest wicket taker in the series:

Becoming the first English spin bowler to take five wickets in a Test match at the WACA in Perth, He also performed respectably with the bat, finishing on 16 not out as part of England’s best partnership in the innings. He remained in the team for the remainder of the series, finishing as the joint third highest wicket taker for England behind Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Flintoff with 10 wickets at an average of 37.90

14. ODI debut:

Panesar made his ODI debut in the Commonwealth Bank series following the Ashes. He debuted at in the 1st match of the series at Melbourne on 12 January 2007.

15. Famous remark:

The left arm spinner’s international career continued to progress thereafter. But, he was dogged by accusations that he wasn’t learning. Australian spin bowling great once remarked: “Monty Panesar hasn’t played 33 Tests, he has played one Test, 33 times.”

16. Inept batsman and fielder:

Panesar had to face ironic cheering from the crowd as he was widely perceived as being a particularly inept batsman and fielder when first selected for England.

17. Marriage:

In 2010, Panesar married pharmacist Gursharan Rattan in a traditional Sikh ceremony.

18. Personal turmoil:

In 2011, Panesar was arrested and interviewed by the police after a heated argument with his wife in a pub car park. He was subsequently released without charge. In 2011, the couple divorced after a bitter legal battle which was kept a secret until the separation was finalized.

19. Monty Python:

The TMS commentator Henry Blofeld once accidentally referred to him as Monty Python.

20. Nicknames:

Panesar has acquired many nicknames since his teenage years as a cricketer. He is most commonly known simply as Monty. But, he has other nicknames too, such as ‘The Python,’ ‘The Sikh of Tweak” (a humorous reference to Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne’s sobriquet, “The Sheikh of Tweak)’, ‘Parmesan Tony’ and the ‘The Beard to be Feared.’

21. Spaghetti-span hands and long clickety-clack fingers:

Panesar has distinct long fingers that help him spin the ball inside out and make it kick off the pitch. He has unusually large hands which reportedly measure 14 inches.

22. Beard wins accolades:

He won the 2006 ‘Beard of the Year’ competition run by the Beard Liberation Front.

23. Other interests:

Panesar follows football closely and is a Luton Town fan.

24. An imitated figure in the stands:

Many of his fans have emulated him by wearing patkas and fake beards while watching him play

25. Awards

• NBC Denis Compton Award 2001
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2007
• Ashes Winner in 2009 and 2010–11
• Padmore Medal in 2006 after the England v Pakistan Npower Test series.