Xtra Time Web Desk : As a kid, young Harnoor Singh Pannu would often hear about sporting days of his grandfather from family members. Harnoor’s grandfather Rajinder Singh was a cricketer himself and played six Ranji Trophy matches for Punjab. On Friday, Harnoor emerged as the highest run-scorer and player of the tournament in the recently concluded ACC U-19 Asia Cup played in Dubai. It was celebration time for the Singh family.
It was Harnoor’s grandfather Rajinder, who gave him the basics about cricket. He used to take Harnoor for practise in a nearby plot near their hometown in Jalandhar. As Harnoor made his basics strong, the family decided to send him to Chandigarh to train under his uncle Harminder Singh Pannu. In 1989, one of his uncles, Bhupinder Singh Junior won the player of the tournament in the inaugural edition of U-19 Asia Cup in Dhaka.
The youngster from Jalandhar amassed a total of 251 runs in Dubai, including a knock of 120 runs against UAE in India’s opening match. The talented batter had scored more than 400 runs in Punjab’s title win in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in 2018 before he shifted to UTCA in 2019. In challenger trophy, he amassed 412 runs, including three consecutive centuries leading to his selection for the Indian u-19 team.
As for Harnoor’s father Birinder Singh, he is waiting for that day when he will announce India’s U-19 World Cup win over All India Radio, where he works as a presenter.