Unmukt Chand will qualify to play for USA in international cricket in March 2024
India's U-19 2012 World Cup winning captain Unmukt Chand will be lining up against the team of his heritage come March 2024 when Rohit Sharma-led Men In Blue take on USA. Chand has opted to play for USA after finding chances scarce for the country of his birth. (More Cricket News)
The T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in West Indies and USA in June this year as India will play the co-hosts in their group A. Having retired from all forms of cricket in India in September 2021, Chand completed the eligibility criteria by staying in the States for 10 months in a year for three years.
Post winning the U-19 World Cup in 2012, Chand was destined to play for the senior team and was one of the most promising prospects in the early 2010s. However, that fell flat and Chand's career hit a lag as the batter found chances rare.
He relocated to USA in 2021 and seems the move paid dividends as he scored over 1500 runs across three season in the Minor League Cricket T20.
Speaking ahead of the clash with India, Chand said it would be strange facing them. "Something which would be very strange (laughs), but I think since I've retired from India, my next goal was always to sort of play against India, and not in any bad blood but keen to test myself out against the best team in the world," Chand was quoted in Cricbuzz.
Chand won't be the lone Indian 'origin' player in the USA team as the likes of Harmeet Singh and Smit Patel would also be representing the United States Of America at the T20 World Cup. Both Singh and Patel, were also part of the 2-12 Trophy winning squad alongside Chand.
India and the USA will take on each other at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 12.