New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) Jatinder Singh arrived in Sri Lanka on January 23 as the captain of Oman’s squad, hungry to rewrite their narrative in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. With Oman set to open their Group B campaign against Zimbabwe in Colombo, Jatinder was in a reflective mood on his cricketing journey that could have ended prematurely due to a career-threatening sciatic nerve issue in his back.

Jatinder, who has scored 507 runs in 20 T20Is since the World Cup was last played in 2024, is the most by any Omani batter in that period. Life since the 2024 edition was rough for Jatinder, who wasn’t even in the main squad for that tournament. An eight-month injury rehabilitation, loss of central contract in between, and crushing self-doubt had pushed him to the brink of retirement.

Now he prepares himself to captain Oman at cricket’s biggest stage in the shortest format. “I would say this is a bit emotional for me because I was left out in the previous World Cup, and now, I am captaining the side. It is a great honour, and I feel blessed and grateful for the opportunity.

“It’s just that one step at a time, and I never thought I would be captaining the side and get a chance to captain in the World Cup, which is the epitome of white-ball and T20 cricket. I feel really honoured and grateful for this opportunity. More than that, I feel our team is really very skilful, with a talented bunch of cricketers, and we are looking forward to it,” Jatinder told IANS in an exclusive conversation facilitated by SportCell ahead of the mega event.

Oman’s preparation began on January 22 when the squad departed Muscat and reached Colombo to get acclimatised to the conditions. Unofficial warm-up fixtures against the United States and Canada provided crucial match practice, while official warm-up victories over Sri Lanka A and Zimbabwe have lifted spirits in the Omani camp.

The presence of long-time Oman head coach Duleep Mendis, a legendary Sri Lankan player, adds significant value, particularly with the side playing their games in his homeland. “He is the one who loves the sport the most. He is a legendary guy here, and cricket runs in his blood. Of course, homecoming for him as we are playing the World Cup here. What more can you ask for?” said Jatinder, Oman’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer with 1,605 runs.

Oman’s win record in the T20 World Cup has been sparse – the memorable 2016 victory over Ireland and another against Papua New Guinea in 2021. “He is really overjoyed and excited because this is the fourth World Cup Oman is playing. We have had dry World Cups for a long time, and I feel everybody is hungry and we are all looking forward to having an impactful tournament,” added Jatinder.

Jatinder’s captaincy approach focuses on creating an environment where players can express themselves freely. “I try to think too far ahead, as they are not in your control. I try to keep the mood in the dressing room very light. I like everyone to open up, have a good rapport with each other, maintain good relationships, and appreciate each other.”

“I think I have played that role in bringing everyone together on the same page and working towards one goal – towards the victory and betterment of the team. I think I have been successful, and the boys have been really cooperative, and you can see the result,” he said.

Apart from Zimbabwe and Ireland, Oman’s Group B opponents include previous winners Sri Lanka and Australia — teams with significantly more resources and international experience. Jatinder felt they could give them a scare due to T20’s unpredictability, favouring the fearless.

“T20 is a game where I don’t think anyone can take any team lightly because in a very short span of time, a game can slip away. If you are zoned out, the game can slip away in an hour or so. There is hardly any time for the team to come back in the game, as I believe T20 requires a lot of intensity and game awareness.”

“I think they should be fearing us, not us, because they have a long history. They have been playing very competitive cricket, and we don’t get to play a lot of competitive cricket. So, I think they should be fearing us, not us,” he said.

It is this mentality that sums up Oman’s mission – go beyond mere participation. “To the team, what we have been saying is that we are not coming and participating in the World Cup. We just have to have an impactful tournament, and we want to play competitive cricket. “We want to make an impact because we keep on telling them that even for us, we had a really dry World Cup. This time, we really have to have an impactful performance so that we can show the world that Oman is also on the cricketing map.”

Jatinder has witnessed Oman cricket’s remarkable transformation first-hand. When Oman qualified for their first World Cup in 2016, they were the only team from ICC Division 5 to reach the tournament. Infrastructure improvements and quality coaching have accelerated development, thus keeping the sport’s growth on the right track.

Beyond Singh, only four players – Aamir Kaleem, Shakeel Ahmed, Sufyan Mehmood, and Muhammad Nadeem – have previous World Cup experience. This means the rest of the 11 players are absolute newbies in the T20 World Cup. “For those 11 players who are playing the World Cup for the very first time for Oman, they are really hungry. They want to showcase their talent to the world, and this is the golden opportunity for them,” he said.

With Sri Lankan pitches favouring spinners, Oman’s spin attack is well-suited to exploit the conditions. “I have been to different platforms where I have said that it is a spin-dominating side. So, we will be banking a lot on the spinners. Of course, the pitches are going to help the spinners in Sri Lanka, and we are looking forward to it.”

Jatinder’s path to leading Oman in this World Cup began with catastrophe. During a 2023 tournament in Zimbabwe, a persistent back injury worsened due to the workload. He continued playing through pain until it became unbearable. When one of his teammates, wicketkeeper-batter Suraj Kumar, recommended that Jatinder should contact Dr. Gaurav Sharma, Gujarat Titans’ physiotherapist based in Chandigarh, he initially expected a quick fix.

“He said he is really good with rehab, physiotherapy, and treatment. I got in touch with him and was under the impression that it might take about 15-20 days for me to get the injury sorted. I travelled to India, and he did the assessment and everything. Then, I asked him about the timeline. He said that this will take about 3-4 months for you to get back to normal because there are a lot of posture issues to be sorted out.”

The diagnosis revealed deeper structural problems caused by playing through injury. “He said, ‘You have been playing with the injury, and that has become your routine regimen now. So, you have to get rid of it slowly, slowly.’ Then, I moved there and stayed in Kharad, which was about a 20-25-minute drive from his rehab centre.

“I was there for about 100-104 days. Then, I got back to Oman and still had sort of niggles. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘I have come back a bit early, and I should have stayed a bit more and gotten myself treated 100 per cent,’” he recalled.

With some issues persisting after rehab, things became worse for Jatinder when he was dropped from the squad and lost his central contract. It took him eight months to get back to normalcy in his life, but the turmoil persisted.

“I got a chance to play in the UAE A team tour to Oman. I scored some runs in those games, and we were touring Canada just after the tournament. I was part of that L2 series in 2024, but then, things started to fall apart. I made up my mind that I am not enjoying the sport anymore, and I want to just give up. But I had a lot of sleepless nights because of thinking about what I am going to do if I don’t play the sport.”

Teammates also suggested his batting style wouldn’t facilitate a comeback to his normal self, but his wife Ramandeep Kaur became his lifeline. “It was my wife who basically inspired me to fall in love with the sport again. She was the one who said, ‘Just keep going. Things are not in your favour, but the sea is rough, and you just sail through.

He confided in Mehmood about losing passion for cricket, but got encouragement from him. “I spoke to Sufiyan also about this and said, ‘I am not getting the joy I used to get. I have to get to the ground; I have to do this and that, and I am not getting that kick to play.’ He was also telling me the same thing – ‘No problem, things will be alright soon. But you just hang in there. Things are tough. You just hold tight. Everything will be sorted soon.'”

The turning point came during the 2024 ACC Emerging Teams Men’s Asia Cup, where Singh captained Oman against India, Pakistan, and the UAE. Though winless, he played in all games, as Oman’s competitive performances earned widespread praise. Ten days later, Oman achieved an unprecedented home whitewash – winning all four matches against the Netherlands and UAE in the Cricket World Cup League 2 series.

“Credit goes to each and every individual in the team, as we are now in a strong position, and that is how my journey again started. It was my wife who pushed and convinced me that there is still a lot of cricket left in you and don’t leave the sport.”

“I had made up my mind that my playing days were over. That’s it, and my cricket is over. But God had different plans, and it is absolutely God’s plan that now I am leading the team in this T20 World Cup,” he concluded.

–IANS

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