There is a sizeable population of Indian-origin people in New Zealand and therefore, it is not a surprise that some current and former Kiwi players are descendants of the Asian nation. Apart from the ones who have already played international cricket, there are also quite a few budding cricketers who hail from an Indian descent.
Here are 6 players from New Zealand who have a connection with India:
#1 Dipak Patel: Former Kiwi off-spinner Dipak Patel moved to New Zealand to pursue his dream of playing international cricket. He made his debut against West Indies, in 1987, at Wellington. Dipak Patel played 37 Tests in all, scoring 1,200 runs at an average of over 20 and also picking up 75 wickets. He represented the New Zealand team in three consecutive World Cups – 1987, 1992 and 1996 – and is known most for opening the bowling during the 1992 World Cup.
#2 Jeetan Patel: Jeetan Patel, although, hails from an Indian family, is an off-spinner who represented New Zealand in 19 Tests, 39 ODIs and 11 T20Is. His consistent performances in First-class cricket early on in his cricketing career earned him a spot in the national side and he played his first ODI in August 2005.
#3 Ish Sodhi: Talented New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi was born in the city of Ludhiana, which is located in the Indian state of Punjab. While he was still a youngster, his parents migrated from their country of origin to south Auckland where Sodhi kickstarted his cricketing journey.
Ish Sodhi was particularly good for the Kiwis in the 2016 World T20, where he claimed 10 wickets in 5 games and conceded his runs at 6.10 per over. The youngster has plenty of cricket left to play in his career and could turn out to be a star for New Zealand in the future.
#4 Ronnie Hira: A left-arm spinner by trade, Ronnie Hira is one of the few Indian-origin cricketers to have played for New Zealand in international cricket. He was born in Auckland and played most of his early domestic cricket for them before moving to the Canterbury side.
#5 Tarun Nethula: Born in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, leg-spinner Tarun Nethula was a 12-year-old boy when his family moved to the country of New Zealand. He made his debut in First-class cricket for Auckland in 2008 and achieved early success when he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the season with 28 wickets.
#6 Jeet Raval: Left-handed batsman Jeet Raval was born in Gujarat, India but has played all his professional cricket in New Zealand. Raval is a prolific run-scorer in First-class cricket and has been given the nickname ‘Rahul Dravid of Auckland’ due to his batting exploits.
