Q&A with Denmark Cricketer Taranjit Singh Bharaj – #BtimesQ&A
Taranjit Singh Bharaj is an Indian-born Denmark cricketer. In April 2018, he was named in Denmark’s squad for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Malaysia. Recently He played in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers Europe as Denmark National Cricket Team Captain, Here are the some interesting answers by Taranji Singh Bharaj in Btimes Quetions & Answers Interview.
Who you are actually, What is cricket for you?
I am Taranjit Singh Bharaj also known as Monty Singh from Denmark International Cricket team. I was born in New Delhi, India where i started playing my cricket at West Delhi Cricket Academy (same as Virat Kohli). I have been playing cricket since i was 7 years old. My Childhoods Coach name is Mr Raj Kumar Sharma.
I am top order batsman and a wicket keeper for the Denmark team. Cricket has always been very special for me. The love for this game was very natural. I used to love watching Sir Sachin Tendulkar smash the bowlers all over the ground. He was the reason i started playing my cricket. His Sharjah innings are my all time favourite. I remember my dad waking me up at 4 in the morning to watch Indian Cricket team play overseas before going to school. I always knew that this is what i wanted to do in my life and it has been an absolute honour to end up playing for the Danish International team and captaining the side at various occasions. Cricket will always be my first love.
One of your special childhood memories of playing cricket ?
Playing and batting alongside Virat paaji (Virat Kohli) is my all time favourite childhood memory. I have learnt a lot from Virat Paaji in regards to my batting. I was at the same cricket academy as him which is why he has had a lot of influence on me and many other youngsters to play this beautiful game.
As far as I remember, i was the only youngster at our academy at whom Virat paaji bowled. He always believed that i would do something special which always kept me working hard to get better at this game.
Who is your role model in cricket and why?
Before I started playing it was definitely Sir Sachin Tendulkar. He was the reason i started playing the cricket in the first place. Whole world knows how special he was and how he made every kid wanting to play this game. His straight drives and hook shots were my absolute favourite.
But since he retired it shifted to Virat Paaji ( Virat Kohli). I have seen him go from strength to strength. He has played absolutely amazing top class innings for the Country and has done exactly what Sir Sachin Tendulkar used to do. He has inspired me to get better since my childhood and i still look up to him. I would like to do the same for Denmark Cricket team.
Your Memorable Inning ?
There are lot of innings where i have done well to help my team get over the line but my debut innings for Denmark against Bermuda in United States will always be an innings to remember. I was awarded with the national cap number 179 and i also was the Man of the match in that game for scoring and unbeaten 69*. It was an amazing feeling to perform at the ICC tournaments and play a part in teams win.
Your Experience in ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers Europe.
It was an amazing experience to be part of this tournament and play against the top sides in the world. We played against the test playing nation Ireland and got to experience and learn a lot from that game. This qualifier was very important for me and the team to understand the difference between the ICC test playing full members team and us.
I learnt a lot about leadership as i was captaining the side in this tournament. It was a huge responsibility and we have learnt a lot from this. I am happy to contribute in teams success and yeah its nice to be in top 10 run scorers in the tournament. There is a lot to learn and get better and hopefully we will come back stronger in the next tournament.
What advice would you give to young cricketers ?
The best advice i can give is that always give your 100 percent and enjoy the process because everything can be achieved. I always believe that if you are enjoying the process and are true to yourself then you will always be in a better place. To get better, we need to be very honest to ourselves first and to the person who you trust to help you get better, then only we can get better, Be it life or cricket.So enjoy the game as much as you can and help your teammates to get better as well. Good luck.
