The Indian cricket team is one of the best teams globally and is doing wonders in the international cricket circuit. The Indians make up 17.5 % of the world’s population, whether in India or any other country. It is no surprise that there are many Indian players to have played for other countries. Here are the Top 10 Indian-origin players to have played for other countries-

1. Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Hashim Mahomed Amla is an inseparable part of the history of South African cricket. He is the only player to score a triple-century in Test cricket. Although he was born in Durban (South Africa), his father and grandfather took birth in Surat in Gujarat. His grandfather then migrated to Durban for business. The family has stayed in Durban ever since.

2. Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)

In a T20I match against Bangladesh in 2021, New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra made his international debut. About three months later, he made his Test debut against the country of his origin, India. His father, Ravi Krishnamurthy, moved to New Zealand from Bengaluru in the 1990s. His relatives live in Jayanagar, a suburb of Bengaluru.

3. Haseeb Hameed (England)

Haseeb Hameed is a young top-order batter who plays for England. He was born in 1997 in Lancashire (England). Interestingly, he made his Test debut against India in Rajkot, six hours away from where his father, Ismail, was born and brought up. Hameed’s parents belong to Bharuch village in Gujarat and immigrated to England.

4. Ish Sodhi (New Zealand)

Inderbir Singh Sodhi is a leg-spinner who plays for the New Zealand team. He was born in 1992 in Ludhiana in the Indian state of Punjab and is of the Punjabi ethnicity. At the age of four, his family moved to Papatoetoe in Auckland. He rose through the ranks to become a go-to bowler for New Zealand in white-ball cricket. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for the Kiwis in T20I.

5. Nasser Hussain (England)

Famous cricket commentator and former England captain Nasser Hussain were born in 1968 in Madras (now Chennai). He is the descendant of Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, the 2nd Nawab of Arcot. In 1975, his family moved to England, where he started taking professional training in cricket. He captained the English cricket side in Test and ODI and won 45 of the 101 matches.

6. Ajaz Patel (New Zealand)

Ajaz Yunus Patel recently scripted history in a test match against India. In the 2nd Test against India in 2021, New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel became the third bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings. Interestingly he did so in Mumbai (where he was born) and against his birth-nation, India. His family hails from Tankaria village in Bharuch in Gujarat. He left India when he was 8 years old and was brought up in New Zealand.

7. Ravi Bopara (England)

Ravinder Singh Bopara is a former English all-rounder. He was born in an Indian Sikh family which immigrated to England. Bopara was born in London in 1985 and made his international debut in an ODI against Australia in 2007 in Sydney. In 35 T20I innings he has played in, he has not recorded a single duck. He continues to play for county team Sussex and franchise cricket.

8. Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)

Although the Maharaj family has been in South Africa for one and half centuries, their forefathers hailed from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Keshav Atman and Maharaj was born in Durban in 1990. He specializes in slow left-arm spin-bowling and is a handy batter who can be trusted as a night-watchman. He made his international debut in a Test match against Australia in Perth in 2016. In 39 test matches, he has taken 130 wickets and was part of the South African squad in the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2021 T20 World Cup.

9. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

Muttiah Muralitharan was born in 1972 in Kandy in Sri Lanka (erstwhile Ceylon). His grandfather, Periyasamy Sinasamy, came to Ceylon from Tamil Nadu as a tea plantation worker. He still holds an Overseas Citizenship of India. At a time when there was a conflict between Tamils and Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka, he was the only Tamil cricketer to play for his country. With 534 wickets, he is the highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket.

10. Monty Panesar (England)

Mudhsuden Singh Panesar gained popularity in England as Monty Panesar. He was a slow left-arm bowler. He has 167 test wickets to his name since his debut in 2006 against India in Nagpur. His parents migrated from Punjab in India to Luton (England) in 1979. His best test bowling came against India in Mumbai in 2012 when he grabbed 11 wickets. Although he played his last international match in 2013, he has not announced his retirement yet.