Indian-Origin Players in Uganda Cricket Team, T20 World Cup 2024: The Ugandan team is set to participate in the 2024 T20 World Cup, marking their debut in the tournament.
Uganda secured this historic achievement by finishing second in the Africa Region qualifiers held in Namibia. Notably, Uganda clinched a victory over Zimbabwe, a full member of the ICC, by 5 wickets during this campaign. Brian Masaba captained Uganda in the tournament.
However, in the process of qualifying Uganda for the T20 World Cup, three Indian-origin players played pivotal roles. These players are Ronak Patel, Alpesh Ramjani, and Dinesh Nakrani. Let’s get to know more about these three players.
Ronak Patel, a 35-year-old born in Gujarat, spent his childhood there. In 2017, at the request of a friend, Ronak traveled to Uganda to play cricket. Excelling in local tournaments, he earned a spot in the Ugandan national team.
As a left-handed batsman, Ronak has amassed 779 runs in 38 T20 Internationals. During the Africa Region T20 World Cup Qualifiers, Ronak scored 127 runs at an average of 25.40.
Alpesh Ramjani, born in Mumbai 29 years ago, relocated to Uganda to pursue his cricket career. An adept left-arm all-rounder, Alpesh has scored 471 runs at an average of 29.43 in 30 T20 Internationals.
Additionally, he has taken 55 wickets at an average of 9.09. Alpesh emerged as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Africa Region T20 World Cup Qualifiers, claiming 12 crucial wickets.
Dinesh Nakrani hails from Gujarat, born in Kutch. He made his move to Uganda seven years ago. Dinesh, a left-arm all-rounder, made his T20 debut for Saurashtra in 2014, having previously represented Gujarat at the under-19 level.
Notably, prominent cricketers like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja also play for the Saurashtra team. At 32 years old, Dinesh has featured in 49 T20 Internationals for Uganda, scoring 740 runs at an average of 30.83, including two fifties.
Additionally, he has claimed 63 wickets while bowling at medium pace. During the Africa Regional T20 World Cup Qualifiers, Dinesh took 9 wickets.
