Who is Tanveer Sangha? - All you need to know about Australia's mystery leg-spinner who earned preliminary spot for ODI World Cup

Cricket Australia announced their initial squad for the much-awaited ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to begin in India on October 5. Tanveer Sangha, the 21-year-old leg-spinner, has his roots in Jalandhar, India, turned out to be the most surprising pick among the 18-member squad. 

Sangha had impressed with his performance early in his career, finishing as Australia’s highest wicket-taker in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup with 15 scalps in six games with two four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul. His father, Jog Sangha, works as a cab driver in Sydney after moving from his village of Rahimpur near Jalandhar in 1997 and his mother Upneet is an accountant.

In a surprise list of selected players released by Australia, star batter, Marnus Labuschagne, was left out which allowed the Indian-born player to earn a spot. Following his outstanding performance in his first-class debut in 2020, he was selected for Australia's T20I series in New Zealand, back in 2021, making him the only second Indian-origin spinner and the fourth Indian-origin player to be selected for Australia's national team after he was selected in the 18-member Australian squad. 

Before Sangha, Gurinder Sandhu, Stuart Clark, and Bransby Cooper had accomplished the feat. Despite receiving an international call-up previously, the 21-year-old has yet to play for the national team.

Sangha started as a pacer before starting his journey as a leg spinner

Tanveer Sangha started his career as a fast bowler before transitioning to spin in his early teens. He had been a revelation in his debut Big Bash League (BBL) for Sydney Thunder in the 2020-21 season. Sangha picked up 21 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 18.28 and an economy rate of 8.08.

In the following season, he managed to pick up a total of 14 wickets. However, Tanveer Sangha has not played in nearly a year as he recovers from a lower-back stress injury. He has taken 24, 7, and 37 wickets in eight first-class, five List A, and 28 T20 games thus far.