CHENNAI: It's could be a mere coincidence but quite a few India cricketers, who won the 2012 U19 World Cup, later went on to represent a foreign country in international competitions. Prominent among them are then captain Unmukt Chand, Harmeet Singh and Smit Patel — all either represented or still playing for the USA.
Akshdeep Nath, Unmukt's deputy in the tournament, is the latest to join the list but his case seems to be entirely different from his other teammates. Unlike the trio of Unmukt, Harmeet and Smit, who reportedly are Green Card holders, Akshdeep was recently granted UAE citizenship through naturalisation. This basically means he ceased to be an Indian citizen the moment he accepted UAE citizenship. As per the Constitution and the Citizenship Act, India does not allow dual citizenship and accepting a foreign nationality leads to automatic loss of the Indian citizenship.
The 32-year-old hard-hitting batter and a part-time medium pacer from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh played 51 first-class matches scoring 2659 runs. He last represented UP in their Ranji Trophy match against Bengal during the 2024-25 season. He also led the state U19 team to victory in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy (50-over tournament). Besides, he represented three teams in the Indian Premier League - Gujarat Lions (2016, 2017), Kings XI Punjab now Punjab Kings (2018) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2019) playing an overall of 14 matches with minimal returns.
However, indifferent form and tough competition dried up opportunities forcing Akshdeep to look for options. He got one but it was not easy. Not a lot of Indian cricketers have trod that path in the past but Akshdeep decided to go against the flow. A few days later, he was no longer an Indian citizen.
"If you look at his career, he only has four-five years of cricket left in him. Here (Uttar Pradesh), he was not getting enough opportunities so he decided to become a UAE citizen. We supported his decision," father Deependra Nath told this daily when enquired how difficult it was to arrive at the decision.
The decision holds more significance as Deependra has two sons with Akshdeep being his second child. His elder son was born with intellectual disability. "Akshdeep and his wife might forget to call us but they always stay in touch with my elder son. My daughter-in-law works in Noida and she also supported Akshdeep's decision to accept UAE citizenship."
A total of five cricketers including Akshdeep were granted the citizenship with three of them being from India. They also become the first cricketers to be naturalised.
"When he was only 10, he went to Nepal to play cricket and since then he stayed away from home a lot of time for the purpose. So it will not be difficult for him. And now he is an international cricketer as he has already played two T20Is against Nepal recently. They (UAE) are treating him well. He is being given a monthly salary apart from match fees, lodging and boarding while playing for the country. The UAE team is trying to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup and who knows, Akshdeep helps them achieve their goal. A stint in the World Cup will be like an icing on the cake," added the father.
Deependra, who worked in accounts and finance departments of various private firms before retiring in 2018, said the family members can also visit Akshdeep twice in a year. "In hindsight, it might look an extremely bold decision but he did it for his love for the game. Growing up, he always dreamt of playing for the country. That couldn't happen here but that's happening there. If he is happy, we all are happy," signed off Deependra.
A lot of expatriates especially from South Asia have been representing various countries through residency rules. Naturalisation of these five cricketers including Akshdeep, however, could be the beginning of a new trend.