“Since I’ve retired from India, my next goal was always to play against India” – Unmukt Chand will play for USA in T20 World Cup 2024.

Unmukt Chand, the victorious captain of India in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, is anticipating a unique experience as he prepares to play for the USA against his home country in the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.

Set to become eligible to represent the USA in March 2024, three months before the World Cup kicks off in the Caribbean and the United States, Chand retired from all forms of cricket in India in September 2021. He has nearly fulfilled the eligibility criteria, requiring a residence in the USA for 10 months a year for three years.

Chand said “[It is] something which would be very strange (laughs), but I think since I’ve retired from India, my next goal was always to sort of play against India, and not in any bad blood but keen to test myself out against the best team in the world.”

Once considered one of the most promising talents in India in the early 2010s, Chand, after a match-winning century in the Under-19 World Cup final, struggled to meet the high expectations. Following modest performances in the domestic circuit and a switch from Delhi to Uttarakhand for better opportunities, he moved to the USA in 2021. Chand made an impression by leading the Silicon Valley Strikers to the first Minor League Cricket T20 title and accumulating over 1500 runs across three seasons.

If selected for the USA team, which shares a World Cup group with India and Pakistan, Chand would face some of the players he captained for India ‘A’, including Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav.