Wednesday 27 / November / 2024
Muscat: He might have struggled a bit since that exhilarating performance in Ireland and Scotland in the successful ICC World T20 Qualifier campaign.
But this young man is highly ambitious and determined to take a large chunk of responsibility in Oman's campaign in the Asia Cup qualifying campaign this month and also next month's all-important World T20.
'Jatti' to friends and teammates, 'Mr. Consistent' to the media and for some 'Oman's Kohli', Jatinder Singh has come a long way since the days of being a school cricketer.
Now considered the backbone of Oman national team, Jatinder has proved time and again that he can hold the innings together with confidence and perseverance.
In Ireland and Scotland with former England star Derek Pringle as a technical advisor, who gave insight into local conditions, Jatinder along with Zeeshan Maqsood and Zeeshan Siddique had stood tall in their ambitious quest.
If Jatinder was consistent throughout, the two Zeeshan's had proved their prowess to steer Oman to victory on many occasions. To be precise Zeeshan Siddique was the crucial man in making Oman realise their dreams with a match-winning performance against Namibia. No wonder many call him 'Man Namibia' now.
However, Jatinder stood out amongst all after aggregating 213 runs in seven matches and also getting a mention worldwide.
The Indian School Muscat's Alumni also mentioned that he rated his 65 (off 56 balls) in Oman's famous victory over The Netherlands at the Qualifier as the best.
However, in recent tours to the UAE and Rajkot, Jatinder did not do much to get noticed as during the Qualifier.
Speaking to =========== Times Sport, Jatinder said that there was indeed a dip in form and is working hard to improve.
"Well, I am working hard to maintain my form," he said, adding: "I did miss few good knocks in the UAE and Rajkot, but I am pretty confident and will capitalise in the T20 Asia Cup and T20 World Cup qualifiers."
Jatinder understands his importance in the middle overs and said he will deliver his best once again.
"Preparations are going pretty well. Everybody is working really hard and putting in tremendous efforts on the field. As we are going for the tournament quite early, this will benefit us a lot," Jatinder, who credited the conditioning camps at Cork County Club in Ireland well ahead of the Qualifier for the team's success, said.
Jatinder said that he has a positive mindset. "At this moment I am staying positive, mentally strong, keeping cool and working hard in the nets and I will definitely make an impact."
That comment reflected on Jatinder's determined attitude and he has one chance to prove himself before his passionate fans when the national team takes on the visiting MCC on Monday evening, which incidentally will be part of the warm send-off for Oman national cricketers.
On behalf of the team, Jatinder remarked, "Team is pretty confident, everybody is charged up in the camp. There are positive vibes. Everybody is looking fitter and better. We are confident of doing well."
This time around Jatinder also has senior campaigner Adnan Ilyas, who missed out on qualifiers, on his side and it is strongly believed that the duo can do wonders for the team.
Going into Asia Cup and World T20, Jatinder is once again on a dream sojourn hoping that he can make a long lasting impression.
Who knows a terrific show can also open doors to bigger leagues of world cricket.
