From backyard fun to the Australian under-19 side. The inspiring journey of turban-wearing Harkirat Bajwa

Mr Bajwa's best bowling rate is taking four wickets by giving away only five runs.

SBS Punjabi

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After migrating from India in 2012, Melbourne-based, Harkirat Singh Bajwa, started playing cricket in the back yard with his uncle at the age of seven. The real turning point came after he was dropped from an under-12, district team, which he said he took as a challenge to one day land a place in the main Australian men’s line-up.

Key Points

As in any other game, there were a few ups and downs along Mr Bajwa's cricketing journey.
Far from being deterred, Mr Bajwa said he took an injury and loss of his place as a challenge.
Balancing his love for cricket with his studies, Mr Bajwa attended a selective school in Melbourne.

Currently playing in Australia's under-19 cricket team as an off-spin bowler, Mr Bajwa shared his long association with cricket with SBS Punjabi. "My uncle introduced me to this wonderful game when I was only seven years old by playing in our family back yard," he said.

Noticing my interest and potential in the game, my family put me into a local cricket club, and from there, I never looked back.
Harkirat Singh Bajwa

As in any other game, there were a few ups and downs along Mr Bajwa's cricket journey. At one stage, he was dropped from the under-12 district team due to an arm fracture.

Harjas Singh's childhood dream turns into reality, gets selected for Australia's U19 squad

But far from being deterred, Mr Bajwa said he took the injury and loss of his place as a challenge, and, after recovering from his broken arm, he started focusing even more on his game and was soon noticed by a state-level coach.

"When I was selected for the under-15 team, I performed exceptionally well,” Mr Bajwa said.

However, he said when he was due to play in the under-16 team in 2020, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic struck, and his playing career stalled.

Harkirat Bajwa doing his magic with off-spin

Credit: Harkirat Bajwa

But in 2022, Mr Bajwa was selected to play in the under-17 cricket world cup in the West Indies.

"Being an off-spin bowler, I don't get much time to bat on the field,” Mr Bajwa said.

"However, my best bowling rate is taking four wickets by giving away only five runs.”

Being a Punjabi boy, Mr Bajwa said he loved butter and roti (homemade naan).

"My parents not only focused on my game, but they also paid extra attention to my diet as well,” he said.

Balancing his love for cricket with his studies, Mr Bajwa studied at a selective school in Melbourne.

Whether I am excelling in studies or sports, it is all due to my family's motivation and support.
Harkirat Singh Bajwa

Inspired by young Indian cricketer, Shubhman Gill, turban (patka)-wearing Mr Bajwa said he was currently focused only on his performance in a bid to one day be selected for the main Australian men’s team.

Click on the play button to hear the full interview in Punjabi.