Mandeep Singh, who made his debut for the Indian national team in 2016, is all set to join a new national cricket team. He took this decision after much deliberation and thought.

Mandeep helped Punjab win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year. But ahead of the upcoming domestic season, Mandeep decided to move to Tripura as a professional player. He has played for the state of Punjab for 14 years. But this move to Tripura was a way for him to reinvent himself as he still wants to play all three formats for Team India.

Mandeep, who currently plays for Hull Zingari Cricket Club in the North Yorkshire Premier League, believes this stint in the country will help him better prepare for the upcoming domestic season with a new national team.

Also Read: BCCI rejects franchises’ plea as IPL mega auction goes on

I want to play all three formats: Mandeep Singh

“I still have a lot of cricket left in me and I’m definitely not getting tired. I decided to take up Tripura’s offer because I wanted to play in all three formats,” he told Sportstar on Thursday from Hull.

He further revealed the main reason behind his decision to leave Punjab and go to Tripura to start his cricketing career afresh. He said that the state association is looking to try out new players and hence he, who still has a desire to play in all three formats, moved to Tripura.

“One of the reasons behind this decision was also the fact that the state association wanted to groom the youngsters and I think I still have enough cricket left in me, so I wanted to keep playing. I remember I was among the top performers in the Yo-Yo Test, and this time, I am working harder on my fitness. So, I wanted to play in all three formats and when I got the opportunity to play for Tripura, I grabbed it,” Mandeep said.

Mandeep also missed the pre-season tour to Namibia and after discussions with the association officials, the Indian international was given an indication that he might not be considered for the limited-overs squad going forward. He said not including him in the tour to Namibia was a big indication from the management that they are looking beyond him in the state team.

“While I fully support the idea of ​​promoting youngsters on these tours as it gives them enough exposure, I was not a part of it. And to be honest, those were indications that made me rethink my future with Punjab. That was when I spoke to the PCA secretary and the technical director (Harvinder Singh) and they also gave me a hint that I was no longer an automatic option in white-ball cricket,” Mandeep recalled saying.

In the end, he concluded by saying that it was an emotional decision for him to leave Punjab but he moved on knowing that he still has enough cricket left in him.

“I achieved everything that my state had given me, so yes, it was an emotional decision, no doubt. But I wanted to go out with a good result and since we won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, I thought it was the right time to move on,” Mandeep concluded.

Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin included in Rangana Herath’s list of best bowlers of current generation